The Wisconsin Center District board chose Milwaukee restaurateur and developer Omar Shaikh as its new chairman during a Friday meeting. The board also appointed Visit Milwaukee president and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith as WCD’s interim president and CEO. She will assume the position on Oct. 1. 

The appointments follow the board’s dismissal of former district president and CEO Marty Brooks months earlier for alleged misuse of corporate funds, violations of district bylaws and the employee handbook and misrepresentation to the board. 

After Brooks was fired in June, WCD board chair Jim Kanter was named interim chief of staff for the district, and will continue in that role until the end of this month. Kanter is the chief commercial officer of Central Standard Craft Distillery.

Shaikh and Williams-Smith each bring years of experience leading Milwaukee institutions.

Shaikh runs the upscale restaurant Carnevor and helped redevelop a portion of the former Grand Avenue property on West Wisconsin Avenue into 3rd Street Market Hall. He has also held prominent roles in Milwaukee’s hospitality, development and tourism sectors. Shaikh has served on the WCD board since 2018.

Williams-Smith has led Visit Milwaukee since 2019.

Shaikh served as the board chair of Visit Milwaukee for five years, from 2016 to 2021.

In a post-meeting interview with BizTimes and other media outlets, Shaikh, who assumed his position immediately, discussed the direction he hopes to set for the district. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity:

To start, can we talk a little bit about the ongoing or anticipated search for a permanent CEO? 

Shaikh: “We’re going to hit the ground running. We’re going to start to map things out very quickly.”  

The last time Peggy got a new job, you were board chair at Visit Milwaukee. Do you see it playing out that way again? 

“We haven’t had those discussions. I haven’t discussed it with her. I think right now her role is to come in, help out, provide stability and just be a great leader within the organization.” 

Do you have a timeline for hiring a permanent CEO? 

“We’re going to put that timeline together. . . By the next board meeting, we can announce a timeline for it.” 

Has the district rejected Marty’s claim yet, allowing him to go to court? 

“We’re already working on that situation, and hopefully within a week or two we’ll have some clarity.” 

What do you hope to accomplish as board chair? 

“Sort of what I did with Visit (Milwaukee). 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 help keep the ship moving forward.  

“From what I’ve seen so far, we have a lot of really good people here, and I think things are moving in the right direction. I just want to make sure we continue to do that. We’ve been in the news a lot, and I want to be in the news for positive reasons.” 

With these leadership changes, does it feel more steady today as you move forward? 

“I think so. I really feel optimistic. A lot of people in here that came up afterwards were happy that we’re going to be putting some new leadership in place. Jim has done a great job —13 years of selfless leadership — so big shoes to fill, but I look forward to it.” 

Is there any plan to address the morale issues that came up during Brooks’ transition out? 

“Yeah, there are, and I think morale is already pretty good. I’ve already talked to several of the department heads and look forward to having longer meetings with them. We’ll be meeting with the executive leadership team later today with Peggy, and I know this will provide some stability. One big focus for me is culture — I think we’re going to install a really great culture here, and I think there’s a good culture already.” 

What are some of your priorities going forward as next steps? 

“To come in and provide leadership — get everybody on the same page. Looking outward, towards the future, to provide some great direction for all the department heads. I really believe that with the right leadership and the right people, this can be the best-run convention center in America.

“I really believe that. “

Why was this a role you sought? 

“I don’t know that I actively sought it. Jim stepped down and had done it for so long. I have relationships with a lot of the board. I’ve done this before. I love this city. I love this state. I felt I could bring a lot of value.”

How will your professional background—as a developer and overall business person—help you in this role? 

“I’ve been involved in tourism for a long time, and you know we run some larger facilities before. I was on the state tourism council for many years. I was the chair of Visit Milwaukee for seven years. I’ve been on board here (at the district). So, I’ve been involved with the city and tourism for a long time, and you know, my style is ‘a get along’ type of style, so I really want to be transparent.  

“I want to be a fierce leader here. Don’t get anything wrong. I really, really want to be a fierce leader and move things forward, but it’s a get along style of transparency.” 

Do you consider yourself a transparent leader? 

“I do. I think I proved that.” 

What are some of the key challenges you think the board will have to overcome going forward? 

“It hasn’t been the most fun over the last two years for the board, and it’s just getting everybody on the same page. Communication is going to be key and having a leadership style of transparency is going to lead a lot of success here.” 

Near the end of the interview, Shaikh said the district does not expect to discuss two issues in the near term: a proposed 650-room convention hotel that has sparked debate in Milwaukee’s business community and the future of the district-operated UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.