Raymond Doswell, vice president of curatorial services for Kansas City’s acclaimed Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, will soon take over as executive director of Greenwood Rising, it was announced Thursday.
“We are looking forward to Dr. Doswell’s experienced leadership and expertise in the museum industry as we work to build a visionary strategy and implementation plan for this great institution,” Jessica Lowe-Betts, chairwoman of the Greenwood Rising Board of Directors, said in a news release.
“As a start-up board, our goal was to set precedent and due diligence in creating an operations and governance practice that honors the history and legacy of Black Wall Street, the descendants, the Greenwood community of business owners and residents, our donors and philanthropic partners.”
Doswell replaces Phil Armstrong, Greenwood Rising’s interim executive director since its opening last year and the project manager for its construction and development.
“I’ve met Dr. Doswell, and I personally am impressed with his qualifications and professional demeanor,” Armstrong said in the news release. “I have no doubt he will take Greenwood Rising to greater heights. Thank you to the Greenwood Rising Board of Directors for making a decision that was rooted in long-term vision and sustainability of this world-class institution.”
Speaking by phone, Armstrong said leaving his “baby” will be difficult but he understood the board’s decision. Except for his time with Greenwood Rising, Armstrong’s background has been in business.
Doswell has been with the Negro Leagues museum in Kansas City, Missouri, since 1995 and its vice president since 2011. He holds a doctorate in educational administration and leadership from Kansas State University, a master’s degree in historic resources management from the University of California-Riverside and a bachelor’s from Monmouth College.
“I hope the community appreciates the Board of Directors, current leadership and staff for the stellar work in bringing Greenwood Rising through its infancy,” Doswell said in a news release.
“Upon visiting the museum, one senses the commitment this team has for the institution. I am excited to continue nurturing its growth, and I look forward to working with the community, staff and especially Mr. Armstrong for a beneficial and seamless leadership transition.”
Speaking later by phone, Doswell said Greenwood, baseball and the Negro Leagues share common threads.
The latter, he said, are “steeped in the Great Migration of African Americans across the country. In the same way, Greenwood developed in part because of the migration of African Americans.”
Telling stories and weaving history into a complete picture are among his strengths, Doswell said.
“I never considered myself a baseball expert or even a baseball historian per se,” he said. “That’s important because I think a lot of folks who were interested in the baseball side of things weren’t connecting the dots to the broader history.”