Kelli Dunlap to become executive director at Take This

Mental health charity Take This will be getting a new executive director as Kelli Dunlap is due to replace Eve Crevoshay, and will be able to keep its doors open following a successful fundraising period.

The leadership change will be effective on October 31, 2024, Take This explained in a blog post, with Crevoshay to remain as a member of the board of directors. Dunlap currently is the charity’s community director, and has worked at Take This since 2019.

Crevoshay published a letter about her time at the non-profit, mentioning she was both “both relieved and sad to be stepping away from Take This” and saying, among other things: “The time has come for a change in leadership at Take This. When I joined the organisation in May of 2018, it was a small, struggling organisation with a fantastic reputation for destigmatizing conversations about mental health in the game community. In partnership with my team, I’ve been able to build on that reputation for trustworthiness, accuracy, and advocacy with new programs and a greater reach.”

In her own letter, Dunlap explained that, in 2025, Take This will focus on three key initiatives: its Accelerate Program, which focuses on educating games professionals about mental health, the AFK Program, which is about bringing a wellness aspect to game shows, and its industry education and recognition programs.

The non-profit had been at risk of closing down earlier this year due to a budget shortfall of $80,000, but it announced in a post last week that its call for funds succeeded, with nearly $100,000 raised over the last eight weeks.

“We are delighted to share that we will be keeping our doors open and are making plans for 2025 with core goals of organisational stability and financial sustainability,” the post read. “But we’re not waiting for 2025 to make those goals happen – there’s work to do right now in 2024. The next few weeks are an important transitional period for the org as we reset, reevaluate, and recommit to our mission and our community.”