KC-area business and civic mainstay Karen Daniel joins Royals ownership group
The Kansas City Royals continued to diversify their ownership group with Thursday’s announcement that Karen Daniel, a retired Black & Veatch Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer and President of the Global Finance & Technology Solutions Division, is among the franchise’s investors.
Longtime Kansas City businessman John Sherman led the ownership group that purchased the franchise from David Glass last year for a reported $1 billion. At the time of the sale, the ownership group included more than 20 investors with local ties.
This summer, the Royals announced Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes had joined the ownership group, making him the youngest part-owner of a MLB franchise.
Both Mahomes and Daniel are African-American. Daniel will join the Board of Royals Charities and will help guide community engagement efforts throughout the region.
“Karen is a great addition to the ownership group,” Sherman, the Royals chairman and CEO, said in a release. “She’s been a decades-long business and civic leader in Greater Kansas City, has a deep passion for the game, and seamlessly fits the criteria of the ownership group. She will undoubtedly bring meaningful value to our efforts.”
A past Board Chair of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, a past President of the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Board, Daniel was the 2020 Athena Award honoree in recognition of professional excellence, community service and assisting women attain professional leadership skills.
“The entire ownership group John established is deeply committed to enhancing our community, which was really impressive, and equally important to me,” Daniel said in a release.
Daniel earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University as well as a master’s degree in accounting from UMKC.
She serves on the corporate Boards of Commerce Bancshares, Snap-on Incorporated and Livongo Health, and recently completed her term on the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City board.
She was also named by President Obama as Vice Chair of the Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa.
“Grandpa had a small general store at the corner of 18th & Vine, where The Blue Room is today. On the weekend, we would watch the baseball games, season after season,” Daniel said of her affinity for baseball. “He especially loved the pitchers, so he taught me about the art of pitching – and how that was the real control of the game. As the years went on, spending time with him made me a lifelong fan of the game.
“The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is also an important part of the story. It’s remarkable they’re having their 100th anniversary in the year I have the privilege of joining the group. Many people may not realize the Negro Leagues included three women as well. As an African American woman, it’s an incredibly special tribute to them and meaningful to me.”
Daniel is a former President of the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Board and has also served on the boards of the Women’s Employment Network, KU Advancement, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, Northwest Missouri State University Foundation, City Year, and the Kansas City Campus for Animal Care.
“In making this investment, Grandpa was my inspiration,” Daniel said. “It’s a way to honor him — in a way that he, too, could have never dreamed. Investing in the Royals honors Grandpa and my entire family, while providing an amazing opportunity to bring together my love for baseball and Kansas City. It’s truly the stuff of dreams. For this six-year-old little girl, the impossible has become possible.”
