Kaitlyn Blackburn to step down as Chairman of the Board

There’s been a recent change in our organization as Kaitlyn Blackburn has decided to step down from the governing board of Untold International, effective this month.

Kaitlyn leaves behind a seven-year legacy of leadership with Untold International

Kaitlyn co-founded the organization in 2015 with her then-boyfriend (now husband) Brady. At the time, they only had a vague idea of what providing language arts educational resources in Ghana would look like, but Kaitlyn’s ideas and inspiration were instrumental in refining the vision. The two traveled across Ghana for two months in 2015 with little financial means and wild faith that they could make an impact in this realm they cared so much about. Despite that fact that the cultures they entered were completely new to Kaitlyn and she suffered both physical and emotional injuries, Kaitlyn stayed buoyed and took care of Brady as he recovered from malaria and discouragement. When they were introduced to the village of Asisiriwa, Kaitlyn was passionate that they had found the right community to partner with.

Kaitlyn was integral to the initial fundraising efforts, including a spectacular fundraising gala in August of 2015. She handled a lot of administrative tasks to get us off the ground, getting us registered as a nonprofit organization and securing us the GuideStar Seal of Transparency every year. She’s always had an eye for design—she created our website, social media platforms, and almost every graphic we’ve ever put out. She and Brady returned to Asisiriwa in November 2015 and lived there for six months. Although living there was an incredibly memorable experience full of amazing interactions, it was also hard on Kaitlyn, who already suffered from chronic depression and anxiety. She kept herself going with the mantra, “This will all be worth it if we change just one person’s life.”

Growth, support, and healthy boundaries: the new frontier for Kaitlyn

In the years since, Kaitlyn has sought treatment for her mental illness, an important component of which has been learning to draw boundaries. Humanitarian work is a very difficult place in which to draw boundaries because one constantly feels that others’ livelihoods can be improved with “just a little more effort, just a little more”. Kaitlyn found herself frozen between her inability to perform all her leadership obligations and her inability to say “no”, which led to large gaps in our communications. For this, she wants to apologize to all our supporters and followers.

Kaitlyn will continue on with Untold doing what she loves most: design. She still makes all the graphics you see on social media and continues to optimize our website and our email newsletters. She is just stepping back from leadership so that both she and the organization can move forward. Brady has stepped into her role as chairman of the board, providing some much-needed structure there so Kaitlyn can pursue her more creative duties without the burden of governing. As a result, we’ve already put out two new series of posts on social media—the most posting we’ve done in years—all designed by Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn’s legacy remains strong amongst the leadership team, not least of all because she continues to inspire us as a friend and volunteer, but because she built this organization from the ground up. She was there at the beginning, coming up with ideas, garnering support, and scouting out a community where the most impact could be made and received. The people of Asisiriwa (and whatever other communities we build in) have more opportunities, perspectives, and inspiration than before because of her willingness to put them, total strangers, first—before her own financial, professional, and psychological security. Kaitlyn actually failed an exam during her master’s degree because she chose to return to Ghana for the opening of the library in 2019 instead. Our success was paved by her sacrifice, and we’re all indebted to her for her bold selflessness. Thank you, Kaitlyn!

Here’s to a new era for both Kaitlyn and Untold!