Peggy Williams-Smith Given CEO Post at Wisconsin Center District

Peggy Williams-Smith at Connect Marketplace 2024. Peggy Williams-Smith. Photo taken Aug. 28, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.

The Wisconsin Center District has a new board chair and, beginning next week, a new interim leader as it attempts to move beyond a tumultuous leadership transition.

The WCD board voted Friday morning to hire Visit Milwaukee President and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith as interim president and CEO of the public convention center district beginning Oct. 1. The board also elected Milwaukee hospitality executive Omar Shaikh as its new chair.

The moves put two longtime Milwaukee tourism leaders in charge while the district searches for a permanent replacement for Marty Brooks, who was fired this summer after leading the organization since 2018.

The board unanimously accepted the resignation of interim chief of staff Jim Kanter and approved Williams-Smith’s interim appointment. Kanter, the long-time board chair, is being paid $30,000 a month for the temporary role, which lasts through Sept. 30. He said he is focused on returning to his work at Central Standard Craft Distillery and will continue to serve on the board, but not as chair.

Williams-Smith will continue serving as Visit Milwaukee’s president and CEO while also leading WCD. Visit Milwaukee and WCD will remain separate organizations, though their missions are closely intertwined: WCD owns and operates Baird Center, Miller High Life Theatre and UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, while Visit Milwaukee markets the region and works to bring conventions and other events to the city.

WCD is a public entity funded directly by tax dollars and subject to open records laws. Visit Milwaukee is a nonprofit, funded in part by a tax transfer from WCD.

“I’m honored that the Wisconsin Center District Board elected me to serve as interim president & CEO beginning Oct. 1,” Williams-Smith said in a statement. “The expansion of Baird Center has opened an important new chapter for Milwaukee, and my focus during this temporary assignment will be supporting the WCD team, serving its customers and partners, and keeping the organization moving forward with confidence and purpose while the board conducts its search for a full-time president and CEO.”

The pairing of Shaikh and Williams-Smith is not a new one.

Shaikh served seven years as chair of the Visit Milwaukee board and was chair when Williams-Smith was hired to lead the tourism organization in 2019. He was also involved in WCD’s search that resulted in Brooks being hired in 2018.

In an interview after the meeting, Shaikh said he hasn’t discussed with Williams-Smith whether she might ultimately be interested in the permanent WCD position.

“We haven’t had those discussions,” he said. “A lot of people are asking that question. I haven’t even discussed it with her.”

For now, he said, “her role is to come in and help out, provide some stability and just be a great leader within the organization.”

According to the organization’s latest publicly available federal tax filing, she was paid approximately $374,000 in 2024.

Brooks’ WCD contract, by comparison, paid him a base salary of as much as $445,000 annually plus bonuses and other compensation. His compensation became a significant issue following his termination because Brooks contends the district owes him more than $900,000 under the remaining terms of his contract. Pasted markdown

Those claims have not disappeared with the leadership change.

Brooks and attorney Stephen Kravit filed a formal claim with the district in July, a required step before pursuing the matter in court. Brooks argues that despite the board’s stated decision to fire him for cause, he was effectively terminated for convenience and is therefore entitled to the contractual payout. The board has disputed his allegations. Pasted markdown

Asked Friday where that dispute stands, Shaikh said the matter is being worked on but did not provide a definitive update.

“Hopefully within a week or two, we’ll have some clarity,” he said. The district has previously discussed settling the matter.

Brooks was terminated following an investigation into his use of district funds, including political contributions and other expenses. He denied wrongdoing and sharply attacked the board’s handling of the matter during a July hearing. The board subsequently voted to finalize his termination for cause. Pasted markdown Pasted markdown

The months-long controversy also raised questions about employee morale and governance at WCD.

Shaikh said Friday that he believes morale is already improving and said he and Williams-Smith would meet with the district’s executive leadership team later in the day.

“I think morale is already pretty good,” he said. “I’ve already talked to several of the department heads. I look forward to really having longer meetings with them.”

He said the leadership change should “provide some stability.”

“One big thing that I’ve always been big on, obviously, is culture,” Shaikh said. “I think that we’re going to build a really great culture here, and I think there is a good culture already.”

Shaikh said he intends to bring a transparent, collaborative leadership style to the board after what he acknowledged has been a difficult period.

“We’ve been in the news a lot, and I want to be in the news for positive reasons,” he said.

Shaikh, through SURG Restaurant Group, owns Carnevor steakhouse and and also owns and operates 3rd Street Market Hall. He has been involved in Milwaukee tourism and downtown development efforts for years. He was a leading advocate for financing the $456 million Baird Center expansion and previously chaired the Home Crew Coalition, which advocated for public financing to keep the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.

He said his background with Visit Milwaukee and WCD gives him experience with exactly the kind of executive search now facing the district.

“I’ve done this twice now,” Shaikh said. “I did it for Visit. I was involved in a search here for Marty. And so we have some experience in doing this.”

But there is not yet a timeline for naming a permanent CEO.

Asked when he wants that search completed, Shaikh joked: “Yesterday.”

He said he expects the board to begin mapping out the process immediately and hopes to have a timeline ready by the next board meeting in October.

Williams-Smith’s dual role will also trigger changes at both organizations. Visit Milwaukee Chief Marketing Officer Josh Albrecht will assume expanded day-to-day responsibilities, while WCD Vice President and General Manager Brian Rutkowski will become chief operating officer and oversee day-to-day district operations while reporting directly to Williams-Smith. Shaikh said Rutkowski has indicated a strong desire to remain in operations.

Williams-Smith said both organizations have experienced leadership teams that make the temporary arrangement possible.

“I will continue serving as president & CEO of Visit Milwaukee and remain fully accountable for the organization, maintaining strategic oversight of our team, board and priorities,” she said in a statement. “I’ll also lean on our incredibly capable senior leadership team as they continue the great work already underway to grow Milwaukee’s visitor economy, strengthen our destination brand and attract meetings, conventions, sporting events and leisure travelers.”

She left Friday’s WCD meeting early to emcee the inauguration of new University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chancellor Thomas Gibson.

Shaikh said his immediate priority is learning more about the organization and getting its leadership aligned around a common direction.

“I just need a little bit of time to get into the organization, figure out what’s what, understand all the principles in place and just help keep moving the ship forward,” he said.

His ambitions for the district are substantial.

“I really believe that with the right leadership and the right people, this can be the best-run convention center in America,” Shaikh said. “I really believe that.”