Women's baseball group names new leadership team
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The All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association has elected a new leadership team, naming Aimee M. Crosby as president as the organization continues its work preserving the history of women's professional baseball and supporting future generations of players.
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The leadership change takes effect immediately, according to a community announcement. Crosby succeeds Richard "Rick" Chapman, who will remain on the board as secretary.
The newly elected officers and board members are:
- Aimee M. Crosby, president
- Matthew Lesko, vice president
- Richard "Rick" Chapman, secretary
- George Chapman, treasurer
- Carol Sheldon, director at large
- Jeneane Lesko, director at large
- Lois Youngen, director at large
The organization said the board combines longtime volunteer leadership, former league players and experience in business, technology, communications, education, athletics and historical preservation.
Crosby has been involved with the players association since 2011 and has chaired its website committee since 2015. The association said she has helped organize reunions, events, public appearances, public relations efforts and social media initiatives. She received the organization's Outstanding Associate Member Award in 2023.
A Wisconsin resident, Crosby works as a paralegal and serves as head of marketing for her family's law office. Her background includes athletics, coaching, community involvement and assisting with development of the paralegal program at Gateway Technical College in Wisconsin.
Leadership transition highlights years of service
Crosby takes over from Chapman, whose tenure as president helped guide the association's preservation efforts and member engagement activities.
Chapman, whose mother Dorothy "Mickey" Maguire Chapman played in the league from 1943 through 1949, has been involved with the association since its founding.
The board also recognized Carol Sheldon for her service as vice president. Sheldon will continue serving as a director at large.
An associate member since 1992, Sheldon has led the association's public relations, archives and memorabilia committees and has worked on communications, website and social media projects. Sheldon was inducted into the National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Board includes former players and technology leaders
Vice President Matthew Lesko brings more than three decades of business ownership and management experience, including work involving operations, organizational structure and technology systems.
Lesko has worked with the association's website and digital initiatives for more than 15 years. The association awarded him its Outstanding Associate Member Award in 2025.
His mother, Jeneane Lesko, played for the Grand Rapids Chicks during the 1953 and 1954 seasons and remains a board member. She has served on the board since 2001 and previously held leadership roles including president, vice president and secretary.
George Chapman will continue as treasurer, a role he has held since 2014. The association said he brings more than 36 years of purchasing experience with General Motors along with bachelor's and MBA degrees.
Lois Youngen, another former league player and past association president, remains on the board. Youngen played from 1951 through 1954 with the Fort Wayne Daisies, Kenosha Comets and South Bend Blue Sox. She later earned a doctorate and spent 36 years as an educator and coach at the University of Oregon.
Association focuses on preserving history and supporting growth
The leadership transition comes as the association continues efforts to preserve records, player histories and memorabilia connected to the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.
According to the announcement, the organization also supports educational initiatives, museum partnerships, reunions, public appearances and outreach tied to girls' and women's baseball.
The association said its new leadership plans to strengthen organizational infrastructure, communications, partnerships and digital resources while expanding opportunities to connect younger generations with the league's history and legacy.
The All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to researching, collecting, documenting, preserving and promoting the history of the league and its participants.
The league launched in 1943 with four foundational teams: the Rockford Peaches (Rockford, Illinois), Racine Belles (Racine, Wisconsin), South Bend Blue Sox (South Bend, Indiana) and Kenosha Comets (Kenosha, Wisconsin). The league expanded to include the Battle Creek Belles (Battle Creek, Michigan), Chicago Colleens (Chicago, Illinois), Fort Wayne Daisies (Fort Wayne, Indiana), Grand Rapids Chicks (Grand Rapids, Michigan), Kalamazoo Lassies (Kalamazoo, Michigan), Milwaukee Chicks (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), Minneapolis Millerettes (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Muskegon Belles (Muskegon, Michigan), Muskegon Lassies (Muskegon, Michigan), Peoria Redwings (Peoria, Illinois) and Springfield Sallies (Springfield, Illinois).
This story was produced by reporter Nida Tazeen, [email protected], with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Women's baseball group names new leadership team