Milwaukee Repertory Theater Appoints Adam J. Peck Board President and Welcome Three New Trustees: Devin Hayes of Michael Best, Retired VP of MillerCoors Jim Meier, and Community Volunteer Cheryl Walker

June 26, 2025 (Milwaukee, WI) – Milwaukee Rep is pleased to announce the appointment of Adam J. Peck (Riverwater Partners, Founder and CIO) as its new Board President. Peck, previously President-Elect, has been a steadfast leader and supporter of the theater for many years. The theater also welcomes three newly elected Board Trustees, who will serve three-year terms beginning July 1, 2025: Devin Hayes (Michael Best), Jim Meier (Retired VP of Commercial Finance, MillerCoors), and Cheryl Walker (Community Volunteer and Former Educator).

“I am honored to take on the role Milwaukee Rep’s Board President and welcome Devin Hayes, Jim Meier, and Cheryl Walker to the Board of Trustees,” said Board President Adam J. Peck. “Their diverse backgrounds and dedication to community and excellence will undoubtedly enrich our organization as we prepare for an exciting new chapter in our history with the opening of the Associated Bank Theater Center. Together, we look forward to empowering the future of Milwaukee Rep with stability, creativity and the flexibility needed to remain a vibrant force in the cultural landscape of our beloved community.”

Milwaukee Rep’s Executive Committee includes President Adam J. Peck (Riverwater Partners, Founder and CIO); Vice President, Trustees Kerryann Hasse Minton (Michael Best, Managing Partner); Treasurer James Phillips (Godfrey & Kahn Partner); Secretary Bryan B. House (Foley & Lardner, Partner); Past President Judy Hansen (Broadway Producer and Arts Advocate); and At Large members Andres Gonzalez (Froedtert Health VP, Chief Diversity Officer), Joan Lubar (Community Volunteer), Anne Noyes (Community Volunteer), Ray Manista (Northwestern Mutual, EVP and Chief Legal Officer) and Clark Slipher (Milliman, Inc., Retired Consulting Actuary and Principal).  For a full list of the Board of Trustees visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com/Board-trustees.

For more information, please visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com.

Milwaukee Rep Board of Trustees Biographies:

Adam J. Peck (Board President) co-founded Riverwater Partners in 2016, following a successful career as a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Heartland Advisors, where he co-managed a multi-billion-dollar small-cap value mutual fund. He currently serves on the board of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Coral Gables Trust Company. Adam earned a B.S. in International Relations with a focus on Environmental Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He continued his studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned an MBA from the Applied Security Analysis Program. Adam is a CFA® charter holder and a member of the CFA Institute since 2004.

Devin Hayes works in Michael Best’s Labor & Employment Relations Practice, focusing on risk avoidance, employer defense, and workplace safety. He counsels clients on day-to-day matters, provides management training, assists with administrative proceedings, and represents clients in state and federal court litigation. He works with clients across a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, higher education, logistics, and technology. He is Board Chair of the Wisconsin Humane Society, lives in Milwaukee, and is a double graduate of Marquette University.

Jim Meier, a native of Racine, is a retired finance executive with experience in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis and reporting. He earned a BS in Accounting from Marquette University in 1984 and worked as an auditor at Ernst & Young before holding various finance roles at Philip Morris, Miller Brewing Company, and MillerCoors, where he retired as Vice President of Commercial Finance in 2018. He currently resides on Milwaukee’s east side. Jim serves on the Boards or Finance Committees of several organizations, including the Wisconsin Club, Racine St. Catherine’s High School Foundation, Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative, and the Marketing Accountability Standards Board. Jim is a member of Marquette’s President’s Advisory Council and is also a limited partner in the MUKC Fund I venture capital fund. He is currently on the management team working on raising funds to produce and distribute a biopic film about Marquette head coach Al McGuire.

Cheryl Walker is a retired educator. She taught students with special educational needs at Grafton High School for thirty-three years and was her department chairperson for the last half-dozen of those years. After retiring from Grafton, she spent six years as a disability specialist at MATC. Cheryl holds a bachelor’s from UW Oshkosh and a master’s from Cardinal Stritch University. Student education is a passion. Fully retired now, Cheryl is an active member at Redeemer Lutheran Church at 19th and Wisconsin as well as a volunteer with Olga, a non-profit providing meals and mental health support to the Near West Side community. Cheryl and her family have lived in downtown Milwaukee since 1998. She enjoys being able to walk to restaurants, sporting events, and theatre venues.  

About Milwaukee Repertory Theater

Milwaukee Repertory Theater is one of the nation’s first regional theaters and Wisconsin’s largest performing arts organization, presenting a variety of world-class theater experiences that entertain, provoke, and inspire audiences. Led by Ellen & Joe Checota Executive Director Chad Bauman and Artistic Director Mark Clements, Milwaukee Rep is as an anchoring civic, economic and cultural institution in the downtown Milwaukee Theater District. Through staging new plays, beloved classics, compelling dramas, and full-scale musicals from emerging and established voices; its John D. Lewis New Play Development Program that incubates new work from a wide spectrum of innovative voices; education initiatives that eliminate barriers to the arts; and community engagement programs that bring people together to explore new perspectives, Milwaukee Rep inspires meaningful dialogue and enacts positive change within the Milwaukee community. With the opening of its new home in the Associated Bank Theater Center in Fall 2025, Milwaukee Rep will deepen and expand its reach with three state-of-the-art, fully accessible theaters, a dedicated education and engagement center, and a variety of welcoming community spaces. For more information, please visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.