Denise Sherman, who has served as the executive director of The Kansas African American Museum for six years, has left the museum for a position in higher education.
“I am extremely proud of the work we accomplished at TKAAM,” said Sherman ”With the new TKAAM Cultural Center forthcoming, TKAAM will expand its role of supporting and advancing community and cultural awareness. I look forward to my continued involvement as a volunteer.”
“We are extremely grateful to Denise for her leadership and hard work these past six years,” said TKAAM Board Chair Ed Watson. “From program development to celebrating our 25th anniversary to launching the private and public phases of our capital campaign, Denise has been terrific, and great progress has been made. She led us through the pandemic and developed important partnerships.”
In 2023, under Sherman’s leadership, the museum announced plans to relocate from their existing facility in the historic Calvary Baptist Church to the former Sunflower Bank Building at 201 N. Main, in downtown Wichita.
The move would nearly double the museum’s current floor space to 22,000 sq. ft., and allow for expansion of its educational and cultural programming, allow them to serve more visitors in person and online, and better protect the museum’s collection of art, photographs and other items.
Sherman had helped lead the museum’s $6 million capital fundraising campaign to purchase and refurbish the building. With the help of several corporate and individual donations, as well as financing from the Wallace Foundation, William Kemper Foundation and The Charitable Foundation, they were halfway to their goal in 2023. By all indications, they were closing in on the fundraising goal and would soon begin renovation work on the Sunflower Bank facility.
The board announced the appointment of Amy Williams as interim executive director. Williams most recently worked for more than eight years at Spirit Aerosystems as executive director of global community relations and DEI.
“Amy brings community and business experience to her interim role at TKAAM,” said Watson.
“She has a genuine passion for our mission, and we appreciate her decision to serve in this transitional role as we seek out our next executive director.”
“It is an exciting time to be at TKAAM, and I am proud to serve in this capacity,” said Williams. Williams says she will work to continue the momentum that Sherman and the board have created while they look to hire their next executive director.
TKAAM’s immediate past president, Ebony S. Clemons, says TKAAM has begun its search for a new executive officer. “The search committee has been commissioned and the search is actively underway.”
It is TKAAM’s mission and work to be the premier place where people and communities experience and learn about the Kansas African-American story so that the present and future can develop an understanding and appreciation for the experience lived by minority populations.
TKAAM has created and continues to build an archive and collection of Kansas African-American history and heritage that allows for original and meaningful exhibitions and educational programming for people of all ages that immerses visitors into the Kansas African-American experience.
