Photo via Summerfest
Summerfest Grounds
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. (MWF), the organization responsible for putting together Summerfest, has announced that Mary Ellen Stanek has been appointed as the new Chairwoman of the MWF Board of Directors. Stanek is the Managing Director of Robert W. Baird & Co, the Co-Chief Investment Officer of Baird Advisors, and the President of the Baird Funds. She is also a board member of several organizations, including Baird Financial Group, Northwestern Mutual, and WEC Energy Group. Stanek has also been named to Barron’s list of the 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance in both 2020 and 2021.
Stanek's appointment comes after Howard Sosoff's tenure as MWF Board Chairman since 2018. Sosoff, who has been an integral part of the festival board for over 40 years, will become Chairman Emeritus. Under Sosoff’s leadership, Milwaukee World Festival completed its largest project to date, the $51.3 million dollar renovation of the American Family Insurance Amphitheater with private financing. He also navigated spearheaded the redevelopment of the children’s area into the Northwestern Mutual Community Park, which opened in 2021 and is accessible to the public throughout the festival season.
In addition to Stanek’s appointment, Milwaukee World Festival also announced the addition of Dr. Joan Prince, Vice Chancellor Emerita at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and US Ambassador Emerita, General Assembly of the United Nations, to the board. Prince is Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s appointee to Milwaukee World Festival. Charles Harvey, a retired executive with Johnson Controls, was also appointed as an at-large member.
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Howard Schnoll, who has been a board member for over four decades, will become an Honorary Board Member, and Michael Lauer will be leaving the board after serving two terms.
Don Smiley, the CEO of Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., expressed his gratitude to the outgoing members and welcomed the new additions to the board. “I am pleased to welcome Mary Ellen as our new Board Chairwoman, and Dr. Joan Prince and Charles Harvey to our Board of Directors. They bring a wealth of experience and expertise to our organization. I am also deeply grateful to Howard Sosoff, Howard Schnoll, and Mike Lauer for their vision and dedication to MWF and the community. On behalf of the entire MWF Board, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to them for their dedicated service and leadership.”
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that hosts a variety of events throughout the year, headlined by this year’s 55th anniversary of Summerfest. For more information about the Board, visit the Milwaukee World Festival website.
