Throughout Erin Upchurch’s more than seven years as executive director of Columbus nonprofit Kaleidoscope Youth Center, no day was easy.
She stepped into the role in 2018, not long after President Donald Trump’s first inauguration, when she said “the community was in disarray.” Upchurch continued serving through the COVID-19 pandemic, where she kept her staff employed and paid full-rate.
And she’s remained in the position through what she and Columbus leaders have referred to as an unprecedented time of political attacks for the LGBTQ+ youth population.
Now, though, Upchurch is stepping down.
“Almost my entire tenure at KYC has been hard,” Upchurch said.
Kaleidoscope, located at 603 E. Town St., is the largest and oldest organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ youth in Ohio. Upchurch said the decision to exit her position as executive director is unrelated to the current political climate, but rather that her intention from the time she began in 2018 was to serve in the role for five to seven years.
“That was the vision and the plan to begin with,” Upchurch said. “It’s just time.”
Upchurch said she’s proud to have been a “transformational leader” in her time as executive director, leading Kaleidoscope to broader, even national, recognition as an advocacy group.
“There really is never a great time for leadership transitions; I think it is wise for leaders to be mindful of their time,” Upchurch said. “Nobody can transform all the time for years.”
Upchurch will continue her role through the end of December, and Kaleidoscope’s Board of Directors has appointed two interim co-executive directors — Amanda Erickson, the nonprofit’s senior associate director of programs and operations, and Jennifer Kuhn, senior associate director of advancement and strategy — to temporarily take over until a permanent replacement has been chosen.
Upchurch said she doesn’t anticipate playing a role in the search for a new executive director, which will begin in January 2026.
As for her own future, Upchurch said she will teach part-time as an adjunct faculty member at Capital University’s College of Social Work. Beyond that, she’s looking forward to “being still.”
“The rest, I’m just kinda trying to figure out,” Upchurch said. “Just gotta reorient and reorganize to life, basically.”
Despite her departure from the organization, Upchurch said she has faith that Kaleidoscope will continue to thrive, largely because she has spent her tenure working alongside people who share her hopes for the LGBTQ+ youth community.
“We believe that there is a different world possible out here,” Upchurch said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever see it before I leave Earth, but we know it’s possible, and I feel really proud of the idea that I get to work with other people who share that vision of liberation and thriving.”
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: ‘It’s just time’: Kaleidoscope Youth Center executive director steps down after more than 7 years
Reporting by Emma Wozniak, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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