Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington Name New COO
SILVER SPRING, Md., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ — Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington (BGCGW) announced today that it has hired Kevin Dowdell as chief operations officer (COO). Serving as the deputy to Chief Executive Officer Will Gunn, Dowdell will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization, concentrating on strategic planning, development and finance.
“We are happy to have someone of Kevin’s caliber join our organization. I believe his strong background in strategic planning, financial management and operations management will advance our organization and allow us to grow in a way that is consistent with our mission,” commented Will Gunn, president and CEO, BGCGW.
Dowdell comes to BGCGW as an accomplished leader and innovator in the areas of strategic planning, operations management, business development, financial management, fundraising and strategic marketing. Working most recently as an independent management consultant, Dowdell has supported organizations such as the US Tennis Association, a $200 million non-profit organization; Russell Simmons’ FabTV, a cable TV venture designed for urban youth; Sports for Life, a non-profit providing tennis instruction, technology education and theatrical training to at-risk youth; and, ThanksUSA, a non- profit providing college scholarships for children and spouses of military personnel.
“I welcome Kevin Dowdell to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and look forward to having him lead the strategy and operations of our organization. Kevin has exemplified excellence in his previous positions and I am confident that he will do the same for ours,” said Terry McCallister, BGCGW board chairman and president and COO of Washington Gas.
Dowdell founded and served as CEO of Volume Media, LLC, an entertainment- driven community and shopping portal for urban youth which was wholly owned by Home Box Office (HBO), a division of Time Warner. Prior to running Volume Media, Dowdell was the vice president of Business Development and Interactive Programming at HBO for six years where he spearheaded and led the creation and development of “HBO on Demand” and all of HBO’s consumer websites, including hbo.com, cinemax.com and tvko.com.
An active community leader and volunteer, Dowdell has mentored several young students and guided their college and career development. He co-founded and served as executive director and board member of Arthur Ashe’s Safe Passage Foundation (SPF) and he currently serves as vice chair of the US Tennis Association’s National Junior Tennis League (NJTL). He is also an active board member of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program and he is a founder and advisory board member for the 15 LOVE tennis program for at- risk youth in Albany, NY.
Dowdell received his Bachelor of Science degree in Management Systems Engineering from Princeton University and his Master of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
About BGCGW
Since 1886, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington has been providing positive options for the region’s children. While America’s youth face many difficult challenges, BGCGW continues its 120-year tradition of offering proven solutions that work. BGCGW Clubs have provided thousands of girls and boys with daily, guidance-oriented character-development programs, firmly establishing a reputation as The Positive Place for Kids.
Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, Silver Spring, MD
CONTACT: Tanzi West of Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington,+1-301-562-2005, or twest@bgcgw.org