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On Thursday, Sept. 29, Milwaukee Pride Inc. announced a major restructuring of its PrideFest production team, and a five-year strategic plan designed to foster internal growth and succession planning. The main innovation is the creation of paid positions of president and CEO, vice president of festival production and vice president of operations. The new structure is effective October 1, 2022.
Current Milwaukee Pride President Wes Shaver assumes the role of president and CEO; Luke Olson and Ryan Manning have been named as vice presidents of production and operations, respectively.
In the official restructuring announcement Shaver identified the need and goals of the action. “After several years of navigating our ‘why,’ it feels great to have a truly centered, unified, and dedicated team to move forward with. Our path is clear: we must reinvest in ourselves as an organization and create opportunities for individuals to not only advance internally but be empowered to take on new roles and responsibilities,” he said.
Founded in 1988 and, since 1996, a member of Milwaukee World Festivals Inc., PrideFest has been a 100% volunteer driven and sustained organization (save for a one-year stint in 2016 of an executive director as a paid position). However, as Shaver noted in the restructuring announcement, the volunteer model is no longer sustainable for the future. Given the ever-expanding growth of the festival and the increasing staffing reliability that expansion demands, the Milwaukee Pride board of directors also announced a stipend model for the festival’s three managerial layers of director, manager and coordinator. The historic move, as noted the announcement, is intended to empower and compensate people for their time and talent.
“PrideFest contributes over six figures in local labor expenses such as security and police, stage workers’ union, electricians and more. It’s only fair that dedicated individuals who work year-round be offered compensation for their time and talent. This event’s purpose is to amplify and elevate LGBTQ+ people and this direction puts that work to the forefront of all we do, Shaver said, adding, “I’m passionate about creating opportunities for people; whether as a first-time volunteer or mentoring someone on a path for growth, I want people to be engaged and inspired … to feel they belong,”
Milwaukee Pride’s NEW Mission & Vision
Milwaukee Pride has also published its new mission and vision statements. The mission statement reads, “Milwaukee Pride cultivates experiences that celebrate the culture, commemorate the history, and promote the health and wellness of LGBTQ+ peoples.” Its vision statement buttresses that mission saying, “Milwaukee Pride will build an environment in which everyone can participate safely, openly, and prosperously by growing partnerships throughout the community that foster the gathering, self-expression, and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ peoples.”
The announcement concludes with a call for interested parties to go to the Milwaukee Pride website, pridefest.com, to begin the process of joining the Pride team. It also includes an invitation for individuals to join Milwaukee Pride’s board of directors and requests a letter of intent from those interested in that position.
Milwaukee Pride’s upcoming events include a sponsorship reception and meet and greet in collaboration with hospitality partner Marcus Hotels at the Saint Kate Arts Hotel in October. An annual meeting and annual report presentation follows later in the year.
For more information, please contact Wes Shaver at wshaver@milwaukeepride.org or call 718-962-5639. Follow Milwaukee Pride on Facebook and Instagram for daily updates
