Milwaukee World Festival Inc. has promoted longtime employees Kevin Canady to chief revenue officer and Jason Stuewe to chief operations officer, the nonprofit operator of Summerfest announced Wednesday.

Canady takes on the newly created role of chief revenue officer after nine years with MWF, including the past three and a half years as vice president of sales and business development. He will continue to lead the organization’s sales functions, corporate partnerships and new event development while assuming responsibility for marketing and food and beverage operations, according to a press release.

Since joining MWF in 2017, Canady has helped drive the organization’s success, including multimillion-dollar capital projects, an increase in corporate contributions and a 66% increase in events hosted at Henry Maier Festival Park. He joined MWF as director of corporate and event sales and moved up to senior director in 2019 and then to vice president of sales and business development in 2022.

Canady’s sales career includes nearly 14 years with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, most recently as director of advertising for category and specialty sales. That was followed by a brief stint at Spectrum leading digital advertising sales teams across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.

Stuewe began his tenure with MWF in 2005 as an intern in the design department while earning his undergrad degree from UW-Milwaukee. He was named lead architectural designer in 2012 and continued to climb the ranks to serve in various roles, including vice president of planning and development since 2021.

Stuewe has played key roles in large-scale projects, chiefly the $51 million redevelopment of the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, completed in 2021. As COO, he will oversee cross-departmental operations and strategic planning, coordination and execution of events, including Summerfest.

“These promotions reflect Kevin and Jason’s commitment to our non-profit mission and the important contributions they have made to Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.,” said Sarah Pancheri, president and CEO of Milwaukee World Festival Inc. “Their leadership will continue to position the organization for long-term success and deliver meaningful experiences for our fans and the community.”