July 9, 2024 (Milwaukee, WI) Milwaukee Rep is proud to announce five newly elected Board Trustees to serve a three-year term starting July 1, 2024. They include Bryan Carson (Associated Bank, Executive VP Chief Product and Marketing Officer), Joe Checota (Landmark Healthcare Facilities LLC, CEO and Principal owner) who’s generous lead gift named the Ellen and Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater, Peter Hammond (Baird, Managing Diretor of Client Servies), Debra Johnson (Community Volunteer) and Benjamin Wagner (Habush Habush & Rottier shareholder).
“I am thrilled to welcome this esteemed group of trustees to Milwaukee Rep’s board of directors,” said Board President Judy Hansen. “It’s an exciting time to be a part of Milwaukee Rep, with construction underway on the new state of the art Associated Bank Theater Center set to open in fall 2025, we have an opportunity to provide a theatrical home fitting of our world class city for generations to come.”
Milwaukee Rep’s Executive Committee includes President Judy Hansen (Broadway Producer and Arts Advocate); President-Elect Adam J. Peck (Riverwater Partners, Founder and CIO); Vice President, Trustees Kerryann Hasse Minton (Michael Best, Managing Partner); Treasurer James Phillips (Godfrey & Kahn Partner); Secretary Bryan B. House (Foley & Lardner, Partner); and At Large members Andres Gonzalez (Froedtert Health VP, Chief Diversity Officer), Joan Lubar (Community Volunteer), Rob H. Manegold (Community Volunteer), Ray Manista (Northwestern Mutual, EVP and Chief Legal Officer) and James Phelps (JCP Construction, President). For a full list of the Board of Trustees visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com/Board-trustees.
For more information please visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com.
Milwaukee Rep Board of Trustees Biographies:
Bryan Carson joined Associated Bank in July 2022 and is the executive vice president, Chief Product and Marketing Officer. He is responsible for product development, marketing, and data analytics teams. He also serves on the executive leadership team for Associated Banc-Corp. Carson brings 30 years of experience in marketing, product development, pricing, analytics and distribution within the financial services industry. Most recently he served as executive vice president of deposit products, customer segmentation, and branch & ATM distribution at Huntington Bank. Prior to that, he served as the bank’s chief marketing officer and senior vice president of deposit products & pricing. Carson also held senior roles at JPMorgan Chase as marketing director and MBNA Corporation as marketing, product, and analytics department manager. Carson holds an MBA with a concentration in MIS from Villanova University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dickinson College. He had been a board member of the Boys & Girls Club of Columbus 2013-2022 and coached a variety of youth sports for 18 years.
Joe Checota is the chairman, CEO and principal owner of Landmark Healthcare Facilities LLC, a nationwide developer of outpatient buildings. He and his wife Ellen generously gave one of the leading gifts to the Powering Milwaukee Campaign to name the Ellen and Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater.
Peter Hammond is Managing Director of Client Services at Baird. Peter has 37 years of experience in the financial services industry. He plays a lead role overseeing client service, operations, legal/compliance, partner relations and business development activities for the Baird Funds. Peter also serves as Vice President of the Baird Funds.
Debra Johnson has enjoyed her recent experiences as a Milwaukee Rep subscriber and is grateful she had the foresight to purchase season tickets shortly after she moved back to Milwaukee three years ago. In the mid-Eighties Debra left Milwaukee for Chicago, where she was a public relations director for a hotel, a marketing consultant and the senior vice-president of marketing for a multi-bank holding company. In the mid-Nineties Debra and her husband moved to California, where they purchased a winery, welcomed two boys and two golden retrievers into their lives.
Benjamin Wagner is a shareholder at Habush Habush & Rottier and specializes in personal injury law. In 2023, Benjamin was inducted as a Fellow in the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers (IATL). He has been listed annually in Best Lawyers in America since 2012. In 2023, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers appointed Benjamin to co-chair his Judicial Selection Committee, which helps to interview and recommend candidates for judicial vacancies. Outside of his legal practice, Benjamin is an active member of his community and has served on the Board of Directors for several organizations, including Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee, Discovery World in Milwaukee, and Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee. He also chairs the Neuroscience Research Center Board of the Medical College of Wisconsin.
