VISIT Milwaukee is getting a new CEO
As it prepares for one of the city's biggest years for tourism, Milwaukee's visitors bureau is welcoming a new CEO, Peggy Williams-Smith.
VISIT Milwaukee announced in a news release Wednesday that WilliamsSmith will replace Paul Upchurch as CEO starting Nov. 18. Williams-Smith will join VISIT Milwaukee from Marcus Corp., where she is senior vice president of Marcus Hotels & Resorts.
She will take the reins as Milwaukee prepares for a landmark year in 2020, hosting the Democratic National Convention in July. The bureau is charged with attracting conventions and visitors to increase the economic impact of tourism in the region.
“Peggy is well known in the Milwaukee community as a leader and as a woman who makes things happen, so she was a natural choice for the role,” Omar Shaikh, who led the search, said in a news release. “Ultimately, the search committee was impressed with her vision for VISIT Milwaukee and her passion for the destination.”
Williams-Smith has been with Marcus since 1997. She is a lifelong Milwaukeean and attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“I could not be more excited to take the reins at VISIT Milwaukee as we go headfirst into a very busy and exciting year, featuring national events such as the DNC, the USA Triathlon, the Ryder Cup, and the 140th annual meeting of Northwestern Mutual agents,” said Williams-Smith in the release.
Upchurch said he would leave VISIT Milwaukee to pursue other opportunities in May. At that time, he intended to stay through the end of the year.