MICHIGAN - August 9, 2026 - The All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc. (AAGPBL-PA) today announced the election of its officers and Board of Directors, with longtime Association volunteer and Board member Aimee M. Crosby elected President.

The newly elected leadership takes office immediately and includes:

• 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 new Board brings together decades of service to the Players Association, direct representation from women who played in the original All American Girls Professional Baseball League, and experience in business, technology, communications, education, athletics and historical preservation.

"It is an incredible honor to serve as the next President of the AAGPBL Players Association, and I do not take this responsibility for granted,” Crosby said. “The women who played in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League were pioneers who opened doors and changed the story of women in baseball forever. As President, I want to be a bridge between the legends who lived this history and the generations who will carry it forward."

A Longstanding Commitment to the Association

Crosby has been involved with the AAGPBL Players Association since 2011 and has served as chair of the Association's Website Committee since 2015. She has contributed extensively to AAGPBL reunions, events, appearances, public relations and social media and received the Association’s Outstanding Associate Member Award in 2023.

She joined the Board of Directors following the passing of longtime AAGPBL player and Board member Sue Zipay, continuing an already extensive record of volunteer service to the Association.

A Wisconsin resident, Crosby is a paralegal and head of marketing for her family's law office. Her background also includes athletics, coaching, community involvement and helping develop the paralegal program at Gateway Technical College in Wisconsin.

Her connection to women in baseball began long before her formal involvement with the Association. Crosby grew up inspired by the story of her great-great-aunt, who played baseball in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1910. Her family's connection to the history of women's baseball continued through her great-grandfather, whose Kenosha business was among the local firms recognized as "Boosters" of the Kenosha Comets during the team’s 1945 season. Those family connections, together with Crosby's own lifelong involvement in athletics, helped foster the deep appreciation for the history of the AAGPBL that ultimately led to her years of service to the Players Association.

Continuity and Recognition of Past Leadership

Crosby succeeds Richard "Rick" Chapman, whose years of leadership and service as President helped guide the Association and preserve its connection to the families, players and supporters who have sustained the organization for decades.

Chapman will remain an integral part of the Association's leadership as Secretary.

The son of AAGPBL player Dorothy "Mickey" Maguire Chapman, who played in the League from 1943 through 1949, Chapman has been an Associate Member of the Players Association since its inception and has served the organization in numerous capacities.

"It has been an honor to serve as President of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association and to work alongside so many people who care deeply about preserving the legacy of these remarkable women," Chapman said. "Aimee has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the Association over many years, and I am confident in her leadership as President. I look forward to continuing to serve as Secretary and working with Aimee, Matthew, George and the entire Board as we build on the Association's history and prepare for its future."

The Board also expressed its deep appreciation to Carol Sheldon for her service as Vice President. Sheldon will continue serving the Association as a Director at Large, preserving valuable continuity and institutional knowledge on the Board.

An Associate Member since 1992, Sheldon has spent decades supporting the Association and the history of women's baseball. She has chaired the Association's Public Relations and Archives and Memorabilia Committees and has been extensively involved with its communications, website and social media efforts. A lifelong athlete, educator and coach, Sheldon was inducted into the National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Experience, Modernization and Long-Term Stewardship

Newly elected Vice President Matthew Lesko brings more than 30 years of business ownership and management experience to the Board, with a background focused on operations, organizational structure, technology and the development of systems designed to support long-term stability and growth.

Lesko also has a longstanding personal connection to the League. His mother, Jeneane Lesko, played for the Grand Rapids Chicks in 1953 and 1954 and remains an active member of the Board.

For more than 15 years, Matthew Lesko has worked with the Association in areas involving its website, technology and digital presence. In recognition of his longstanding service and dedication to the Association, Lesko received the AAGPBL Players Association’s Outstanding Associate Member Award in 2025 and has also received several certificates of appreciation over the years recognizing his contributions to the organization.

His work with Crosby has increasingly focused on the potential for AAGPBL-PA to use its website and broader digital ecosystem not simply as an archive, but as a platform for education, historical preservation, outreach, membership growth and support for the future of girls' and women’s baseball.

Lesko has also committed substantial ongoing in-kind technology, development and consulting support to the Association to assist with modernization and expansion of its digital infrastructure while ensuring that the AAGPBL-PA retains ownership and control of its website and digital assets.

Veteran Board Members Continue Their Service

George Chapman will continue as Treasurer, a position he has held since 2014. The son of AAGPBL player Dorothy "Mickey" Maguire Chapman and brother of Rick Chapman, George brings extensive business experience to the position, including more than 36 years in purchasing with General Motors as well as bachelor's and MBA degrees.

Two women who took the field in the original League will continue providing an irreplaceable connection between the Association's history and its future.

Jeneane Lesko, who played for the Grand Rapids Chicks during the 1953 and 1954 seasons, has served on the Association's Board since 2001. During more than two decades of Board service, she has held several leadership positions, including President, Vice President and Secretary. She has also represented the AAGPBL at Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball events, girls' baseball clinics and other national events dedicated to women in baseball.

Lois Youngen played four seasons in the AAGPBL from 1951 through 1954, appearing with the Fort Wayne Daisies, Kenosha Comets and South Bend Blue Sox. Among the notable moments of her playing career, Youngen caught Jean Faut's second perfect game in 1953. She later earned a Ph.D. and spent 36 years at the University of Oregon as an educator and coach. Youngen is also a past President of the Players Association and has served the organization for many years in leadership and Board roles.

Together, Lesko and Youngen ensure that the voices and experiences of the women who actually played in the League remain directly represented in the governance of the organization dedicated to preserving their history.

Honoring the Past While Building the Future

The leadership transition comes as the AAGPBL-PA continues working to preserve and share the history of the women who played in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League while expanding its support for the growing future of girls' and women's baseball.

The Association's work includes historical preservation and education, maintaining player histories and records, supporting reunions and appearances, working with museums and historical organizations, and promoting modern girls’ and women’s baseball.

Under its new leadership, the Board intends to build upon that foundation while strengthening the Association's organizational infrastructure, communications, digital presence, partnerships and ability to connect the original League's pioneering players with new generations discovering both their history and the opportunities they helped make possible.

As Crosby emphasized, that connection between generations will remain central to the Association's mission: honoring the women who lived the history while ensuring their legacy continues to inspire those who come next.

About the All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc.

The All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc. (AAGPBL-PA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to researching, collecting, documenting, preserving and promoting the history of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League and the women who were part of it.

The Association works to provide historical, educational and factual information about the League and its personnel, create opportunities for interaction among its members, preserve the stories and memorabilia of its players, and promote and support modern girls' and women’s baseball.

For more information, visit www.AAGPBL.org.

MEDIA CONTACT
Aimee M. Crosby
President
All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc.
[email protected]
www.AAGPBL.org