Baltimore’s Lewis Museum names Maryland Public Television executive as new president

This fall, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture will welcome a new leader: Travis Mitchell of Maryland Public Television.

Mitchell, MPT’s chief content officer and senior vice president, will succeed Terri Lee Freeman, who announced her retirement in June, the museum announced Thursday. He takes over in November, though an official start date has not been announced.

While Mitchell comes from the world of TV, he said he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to lead the state’s largest museum focused on the history, experiences and culture of Black Marylanders.

“I wanted to see if I could bring some of my experiences in the area of storytelling and film to really amplify the stories that are within and behind the artifacts contained in the Lewis and in its exhibits,” Mitchell said.

He has more than two decades of media experience and joined MPT in 2020 from the University of North Carolina Television, now known as PBS North Carolina. Before that, Mitchell served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the now-defunct cable TV network Black Family Channel in Atlanta.

Under his leadership, MPT won 79 regional Emmy Awards. The Morgan State University alum also earned a national Emmy nomination in April as an executive producer on PBS’ Thurgood Marshall documentary, “Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect.”

The Lewis Museum, located downtown at 830 E. Pratt St., opened in 2005. It’s named after Reginald F. Lewis, the Baltimore native who became the first Black American to build a billion-dollar business, the food company TLC Beatrice International Holdings.

The Lewis Museum’s current featured exhibition is “The Lines We Cross: 250 Years of Maryland Forging America,” which explores how Black Marylanders have “shaped the social, cultural, and political landscape of America,” according to the museum’s website. It runs through Halloween.

While Freeman doesn’t know Mitchell well, she called the hire “a great pick” because Mitchell’s strong track record of historical programming at MPT should translate to the museum.

“I feel really confident that the programming is going to probably ratchet up in quality and in stature,” Freeman said.

Mitchell said it’s too early to discuss future museum programming. His initial focus will be more on learning what types of exhibitions Marylanders want to see.

“I need to do a lot of listening, a lot of learning from the community, not just in Baltimore but throughout Maryland and the nation,” he said.

As for Freeman, she’s looking forward to retirement, which will likely include some professional consulting and a passion project about her grandfather George L. Lee’s work creating illustrated biographies for Black newspapers. The newfound free time will allow for other pursuits, too.

“I’d like to learn how to play golf,” she said.