Meet Kevin Blackburn | Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevin Blackburn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
One of my favorite quotes is “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”

We live in a world of big promises and little follow through. This quote guides me as I interact with others and when evaluating my own actions. I believe strongly in personal integrity and authenticity and I believe a person’s actions show what they really care about and believe in, not what they say. Anyone can use words to say what they’re expected to say, or tell someone what they want to hear. It is a much smaller group of people who actually align their words with their actions – doing the right thing no matter how difficult and following through on their promises. I work hard every day to embody this quote. Though I fall short, it gives me something to work towards.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I consider myself extremely fortunate to be where I am today. I grew up an “Army Brat” – moving a lot, seeing the world, developing friendships with people who had vastly different life experiences and living in Japan, Alaska, and Saudi Arabia, among other places.I attended UNCW, graduating in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management & Leadership. I didn’t know anything about non-profits at the time and after a corporate business internship I quickly learned that the corporate world wasn’t for me. One summer I volunteered at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC in the mornings and Kids Making It in the afternoons. Both experiences introduced me to the nonprofit world but Kids Making It showed me how much I enjoyed working with young people and seeing them grow as individuals. Soon after this I was hired at Brigade Boys & Girls Club (now Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern NC) as a program aid helping to run their athletics programs. From there I grew professionally, working alongside incredible teammates for a number of wonderful leaders with diverse backgrounds, including in leadership roles at the Boys & Girls Club and also at a youth serving arts non-profit, DREAMS Center for Arts Education. Having the opportunity to come back to Kids Making It a few years ago was a dream come true. My journey here had some challenges to be sure but I was very fortunate to forge great relationships along the way and I strive to embrace every challenge I face as a “teacher with a lesson.”

Other lessons learned:
– Be slow to judge
– you know very little about the lives of the people you meet.
– Assume the best about people, not the worst, but don’t be caught off guard when people prove you wrong.
– Kids and teens are listening to you (even when they say they aren’t).
– Focus only on what you can control. This is the best use of your time and energy.
– Be quick to adapt.
– Use mental models and journaling to ensure you clearly understand your emotions, how your brain works, and impacts these have on your decisions.
– Change is difficult for most people
– even more so for organizations.
– Consider “reversibility” when making decisions. If something can be reversed easily, move quickly and don’t hesitate to try it out. If it can’t be reversed easily, take your time, be thoughtful in considering all factors and consider potential unintended consequences of the decision.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Disclaimer: I’m an introvert. That said, I would take them on a bike ride to the beach on the Cross-City Trail, take them to some great restaurants downtown, and show them some of the wonderful nature spots around town. Most importantly – I would give them a tour of Kids Making It!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to my parents. They instilled in me a strong sense of right and wrong, personal integrity, universal respect and appreciation for differing cultures, and the importance of working hard, especially when you don’t feel like it. They encouraged my lifelong passion for learning – something invaluable to my personal and professional growth. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to seek their advice over the years.

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