June 2025

Dear Friends —

I don’t really have words to say all that I’m feeling now as I write – gratitude, excitement, curiosity, and, if I’m honest, a little grief.

After co-founding Beyond Borders and serving in leadership for 32 years, I will be stepping down from my role as Co-Executive Director. I will begin a six-month leave next month to discern with our board and staff what, if any, formal role I may play in the future. I am excited to see how this transition will create space for even stronger leadership to emerge within Beyond Borders and will also offer me space to discover what’s next. 

Last October, Smith Maximé stepped into the role of Co-Executive Director, and since then, we’ve been leading Beyond Borders together. Smith will continue in this role, providing strong strategic leadership for our Haitian affiliate and our teams across Haiti.

I am so very happy to share that my dear former colleague, Coleen Hedglin, will be stepping into my role to serve alongside Co-Executive Director Smith Maximé. Coleen returns to Beyond Borders after being recruited away in 2021. 

Coleen first joined Beyond Borders in 1999, when we were still a small, emerging organization. Over 22 years—including 16 spent living and working in Haiti—she made lasting contributions to our mission: shaping impactful programs, helping define our organizational culture, and strengthening our grant fundraising efforts. 

I am so happy that Coleen agreed to return to Beyond Borders. Her decision gives me enormous confidence that our organization will continue to grow and thrive, advancing our mission and vision. She and Smith have many years of experience working together productively and harmoniously. Both are gifted leaders with complementary skills, experience, and a deep commitment to the work. 

I want to thank our amazing Board of Directors and the members of the Succession Planning Committee who guided us through this process. You may not know this, but Beyond Borders has an absolutely amazing Board. In my role I interact with dozens of other organizational leaders and encounter a great deal of envy among them for the strength of our board. Here’s the list of our current board and their profiles. Their deep commitment, wisdom, and great range of skills give me great confidence that Beyond Borders has the fortitude and foresight to continue to successfully build movements against oppression and isolation in Haiti and beyond. 

And then there is you. Beyond Borders wouldn’t exist without the commitment and generosity of people like you who have embraced our mission and opened your heart to those we struggle alongside in Haiti. You share with us a vision of a different Haiti and a different world where every child has access to a quality education and is growing up in a loving home with all their basic needs being met, where girls and women live without fear of violence or discrimination. Where those who have been historically most marginalized are discovering their strengths, healing from past trauma, and leading their communities to become places where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. 

My heart is full of gratitude as I step away from the leadership role I’ve been playing. Coleen, Smith, and so many others will continue to provide visionary leadership. And though I am stepping aside, you will continue to hear from Brian Stevens, Sister Limeteze Pierre-Gilles, and Jonathan Haggard and other tremendously committed and capable colleagues on our team. 

I’m so excited to see what emerges in the months and years to come. I am confident that this change will create space for even stronger leadership to emerge within Beyond Borders and will also give me some time to hear what I’m being called to next. 

I invite your prayers for me during this transition and period of discernment. I am both curious to see what unfolds for me and my family and just a little anxious. I anticipate feeling some grief as the day-to-day routine of interacting with so many wonderful people is interrupted. But I trust that this will be more than matched by the joy of seeing our work flourish.

Thank you so very, very much for all you make possible!

With deep gratitude,

David

PS – You can read a message from our board president, Jonathan Scoonover, about this leadership transition by clicking here.