photo by: Contributed

Outgoing Van Go co-executive directors Eliza Darmon, left, and Kristen Malloy are pictured in this file photo from February 2021.

The co-leaders of arts-based nonprofit Van Go will be leaving their roles at the end of this year.

Van Go announced the leadership change in a news release Friday afternoon. Longtime staff members Eliza Darmon and Kristen Malloy have served as co-executive directors at Van Go since the beginning of 2021 and have continued to guide the nonprofit through its 25th year since it was founded by Lynne Green in the late 1990s.

“Given their dedication to Van Go for well over a decade, neither of them came to their decisions lightly and will now support Van Go as members of our broader Van Go family,” the release reads. “Their parting gift is a fortified foundation, a healthy financial picture and a talented staff dedicated to inspiring young lives through art, work and community. For this, and all of their investments, we are deeply grateful.”

In 2024, incoming Van Go Board of Directors president Katie Winter will assume an interim role, and Darmon and Malloy will remain on board in contract roles to assist with the transition. The release notes that this collaborative approach to navigating the change will “serve as a powerful model for the youth we serve.”

The release also asks for help from the community in identifying Van Go’s future leadership, noting that the organization is looking for leaders who show that creativity doesn’t apply only to artwork, are committed to empowering a community and believe in the ability to create things anew.