(BALTIMORE – April 13, 2026) – The very first person I remember — a Black man leading Baltimore’s tourism charge — was Carroll Armstrong. I had no idea about his musical background at the time. All I knew was that whenever it came to selling the Inner Harbor and Baltimore’s many gems to convention planners and visitors from around the world, Carroll Armstrong was the man in the room. He carried himself with a quiet authority that said: this city is worth it.
Then came Al Hutchinson. Al took Mr. Armstrong’s legacy and built upon it — brick by brick, handshake by handshake. Think about the weight of that job for a moment. To sell Baltimore to the world, you have to overcome the stereotypes that HBO’s The Wire burned into the national imagination. You have to walk into rooms full of skeptics and turn them into believers. Al did exactly that, and he did it with style, grace, and an unmatched command of his craft. And like world boxing champion Terence “Bud” Crawford, Al left the game on top — with his legacy intact and his successor well prepared.
That successor is now officially confirmed: Kireem Swinton.
On April 1, 2026, the Baltimore Convention and Tourism Board made it official, appointing Swinton as the permanent President and CEO of Visit Baltimore. This wasn’t a surprise to those of us paying attention. Swinton has been part of the organization since 2017, most recently as Vice President of Sales & Customer Experience before stepping into the interim CEO role in July 2025. And in that interim stretch, he proved what many already knew — he was ready.
During his tenure, Swinton helped lock in the 2033 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Exposition for Baltimore and extended the beloved CIAA Tournament through 2029 — no small feat for a city that has poured so much heart into that event. His steady hand during the transition kept the organization’s momentum intact and its mission clear.
The numbers back the work. In 2024, Baltimore welcomed 28.5 million visitors, generating $4.3 billion in economic impact. That doesn’t happen by accident. That’s the result of consistent leadership, strategic relationship-building, and a genuine love for this city.
“Baltimore is a city of resilience, innovation, and rich culture,” Swinton said upon his appointment, “and its story is one I am proud to tell.”
He’s right. And now the pen — or rather, the podium — is officially his.
Mayor Brandon Scott praised the appointment, and Board Chair Chuck Tildon called Swinton “the ideal leader to guide Visit Baltimore into its next chapter.” Both sentiments ring true.
Kireem Swinton has some very tough shoes to fill. Carroll Armstrong set a standard. Al Hutchinson elevated it. But if Swinton stays grounded, stays surrounded by people who genuinely want to see him win, and keeps Baltimore’s communities at the center of what he does, he won’t just fill those shoes — he’ll break in a new pair that future leaders will aspire to wear.
Baltimore built him. Now it’s his turn to build Baltimore.
Doni Glover is the founder and publisher of BMORENews.com, now in its 24th year of covering Black Baltimore, and the founder of the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards, now in its 15th year. He is also the host of the Emmy-nominated Doni Glover podcast and The Doni Glover Show on WMAR-TV 2.
