Our Team
It takes a Village
Board of Directors
Kali Kirkendall
Founder + Executive Director
Andrew Gober
Board of Directors + CFO
Mikolaj Zadecki
Board of Directors
Kristina Joss
Board of Directors
Eric Titus White
Board of Directors
Myra Beaveridge
Board Member
Cheyenne Branscum
Fundraising Coordinator
Kali Kirkendall
Founder + Executive Director
Kali has been studying community development since university, where she obtained a BA in International Relations with a focus on Development Studies from OSU. Through her studies and extensive traveling, she realized that it takes a grassroots impact from the community to create lasting change. She has studied communities and agricultural practices in each place she landed and believes in the difference a local food system makes on a local economy and the overarching health of the community.
Over the past 17 years, she has worked with multiple sustainable or organic farms. From market to wholesale, from farmers’ markets to CSA’s, from farm to table to produce markets. She has run gardens at lodges and for small shareholders.
To continue a life of service within her passion, she began the Blue Atlas Project to work with those in vulnerable situations to create lasting change.
Kali can frequently be found in the mountains, on a sailboat, or working on-site with the communities she aims to serve.
Andrew Gober
Board of Directors + CFO
Andrew (Drew) Gober grew up in a small town in Michigan. He spent time on the waters of the Great Lakes, where he fell in love with sailing. He joined the U.S. Air Force after college and traveled the world, living in multiple countries, and within disparate cultures. After retiring from the Service, he moved to St Petersburg, FL, and shifted his efforts to being a sailing instructor. When the opportunity arose to assist The Blue Atlas Project, Drew was compelled.
“Service before Self” is one of his core values learned in the military. Desiring to continue to serve others in a meaningful way, the Blue Atlas Project provides an avenue to fulfill his desire to assist others in an extraordinarily meaningful way. Drew is incredibly motivated by the work Blue Atlas dedicates itself to and finds inspiration in the excitement and energy created by the simple act of helping others live the best way they can.
Mikolaj Zadecki
Board of Directors
Mikolaj Zadecki is a business consultant and entrepreneur with a passion for social, environmental, and humanitarian causes. He has dedicated a lot of his spare time in his adult life to supporting initiatives aimed at bettering the conditions of people and their planet. He is a lifelong believer in the wisdom and necessity of sustainability in all human activities and was an early supporter of the ideas that led to the Blue Atlas mission.
Today he lends his energy, his network, and business expertise to that mission’s fulfillment. He hopes to join the Project in a more active role in the near future. Mikolaj lives in Charleston with his dog, Jerry.
Kristina Joss
Board of Directors
Kristina currently serves as GlobalGiving’s Vice President of Growth, where she is responsible for creating and executing a comprehensive donor engagement strategy to achieve annual revenue and volume growth in service of GlobalGiving’s mission to accelerate community-led change.
Before joining the team, Kristina worked as a sustainability consultant for Salterbaxter in the US and Business in the Community in the UK, working closely with Fortune 500 companies to develop their CSR strategies. She has more than a decade of experience in communications and marketing in both the private and nonprofit sectors. Kristina earned an MSc in environment and development from the University of Edinburgh and a BSc in communications and international development from the University of Miami.
Outside of work, you will find Kristina exploring the outdoors, playing sports, or traveling. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and three-year-old son.
Eric Titus White
Board of Directors
Eric brings 10 years of humanitarian work to the Blue Atlas Board. Working in the middle east, aiding in the building of refugee camps and the rebuilding process in post-conflict zones through his company Grand Array Inc. and previously, AERO. He has served on the board of All Together Now PA, heading their food coalition initiative and planning their events. He brings with him years of sustainable food production from running his own large-scale organic farm, Hempstead. He joined the BA board in the middle of 2022 and acts as a key member for organizational focus and direction. Eric resides in Pennsylvania but can frequently be found in airports worldwide.
Myra Beaveridge
Board Member
Myra grew up on her grandfather’s farm in Nassau, Bahamas; always enjoy experiencing the life cycle of animals and plants year after year. Presently, studying Animal and Plant Science at The Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science institute (BAMSI). After moving to Marsh Harbor and experiencing Hurricane Dorian (2019), food security has become a focus for her and a priority for her community. She brings passion and knowledge to the Blue Atlas Team.
Cheyenne Branscum
Fundraising Coordinator
Cheyenne started working for nonprofits at the age of 19 to help her local community. She worked as an advocate for victims of domestic violence and began learning what makes nonprofits successful and impactful. Her desire to make a difference through nonprofits has only grown with her recent efforts focused on environmental justice and conservation.
With a degree in International Security Studies, she has an in-depth cross-cultural understanding and prioritizes putting local voices first. She’s excited to be on the Blue Atlas Project team and bring her nonprofit expertise to help expand the organization and its incredible work.
Cheyenne is based in Shawnee, OK and can typically be found juggling her kids or learning a new foodie recipe off TikTok
Our Partners & Sponsors
