Young athletes participate in a track meet at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.

The Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College and a mainstay of the Roxbury neighborhood welcomed two new members to its leadership team in the last quarter of 2025.

Just a few months into their tenure, Richard Ward and Lance Greene are already immersed in the mission of the center, “the Reggie,” as it is affectionately called by community members.

Having held numerous leadership positions for nonprofits in the past, working with the Reggie as its new executive director seemed like a natural next step for Ward, a Boston native who was a track athlete growing up.

“[I] did not have an opportunity to run on a track like this during the times that I was coming up,” he said, “It’s great for high school [students who] now have an opportunity.”

Greene, who is serving as the Reggie’s senior director of operations, comes from a similar background. Born and raised in Dorchester, he also grew up competing in track and field events as well as playing basketball.

Having worked as stadium operations manager for Gillette Stadium and for university athletic departments, including at Endicott College and Tufts University, sports have always played a big role in Greene’s life.

“Sports have been a huge and vital part of my upbringing,” Greene said, adding that he’s also grateful for the leadership qualities that participating in sports instills.

First opened in 1995, the Reggie is located at Roxbury Crossing and functions as a space not only for RCC students but also for those from local high schools and other community groups. Its previous executive director, Michael Turner left in May 2025, leaving the space without a dedicated head until Ward’s appointment. Greene’s role, however, is new and part of the community college’s organizational restructuring.

Given their shared backgrounds, Ward and Greene were able to step into their new roles as a team. Their current focus is developing a strategic plan to improve the Reggie’s facilities.

While their goal is to be recognized as a world-class asset in track and field, they also hope the Reggie will be more. The hope is to expand the Reggie to also be a wellness center focusing on overall well-being of community members, with programs such as dance fitness, aerobics, art therapy and yoga.

A third focus is marketing the Reggie as a community conference space. Expanding the building’s use is crucial to helping the center support itself, according to Ward.

That’s because even though the Reggie is an important venue for school athletics, the center can’t charge schools for using the space as it is prohibited under state law and is therefore unable to earn revenue that way.

Having the Reggie also function as a conference space could generate profits to be reinvested in the center, Ward said.

To meet those goals, the Reggie is planning to improve its facilities. The center has been allocated $22 million by the state over the next four years to make a number of repairs, including fixing the roof, lighting and HVAC systems. These plans are in the design phase, with the expectation of entering the construction phase by the end of 2027.

Greene expressed his excitement for changes to be made. “They can’t happen fast enough,” he said.

Others in the Reggie’s community are similarly excited for the changes, especially given their ties to the center.

“I call it my home away from home,” said Alice Luster, a longtime member and instructor of Sensational Seniors, a community group for older adults hosted at the Reggie. Luster joined over 20 years ago when the group began meeting. She said the location provides the space for diverse senior programming and is accessible to the community.

“We’re right in the middle [of Roxbury]. It’s right on the T; [group members] have The RIDE that will bring them to the Reggie Lewis Center,” she said.

Those not on staff also value the center’s status in the community.

“The Reggie Lewis Center opened [its]doors and allowed us to come and use the facility,” said Sekou Dilday, a member of the Boston United Run Club, a youth track club that provides free membership to the Reggie. He and his clubmates used the facilities after their previous training site, the Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex further south in Roxbury, was converted into temporary migrant housing.

Dilday says he appreciates how he’s always in the know about things happening at the Reggie and the new leaders’ interest in his group’s experience.

Ward and Greene are “extremely accessible,” Dilday said. “They do what they can to make sure that our kids are able to continue with their training time.”

Ward and Greene are excited to foster a space that people will want to return to.

“I want the community to feel excited about what goes on in here, that this is a part of them and they feel excited for what happens here,” said Greene.