The Pfister Hotel Names Next Artist in Residence
The Historic Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee has named Shelby Keefe its newest artist in residence. Keefe is the third artist to hold the position. Others include Reginald Baylor and Katie Musolff.
“I am so very honored and grateful to be chosen as the next Pfister artist in residence,” said Keefe. “I am thrilled with the opportunity to focus on creating a body of work that reflects the beauty of Milwaukee and to work in the magnificent surroundings of The Pfister Hotel. I look forward to growing as an artist and sharing my passion for painting with visitors and guests from all over the world.”
Keefe was one of six finalists to have been included in the public voting period. She will move into the Pfister’s studio space in April, and will remain at the hotel for one year. In addition to the public vote via Facebook, Twitter, online and in-person ballots, a selection committee consisting of leaders in the local art community made the final decision on the next artist in residence.
Keefe is a contemporary impressionistic painter, teacher and performance artist, Keefe was born in Whitewater and graduated in 1981 from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. Since retiring from a career in graphic design in 2005, she has been operating her own art studio and exhibition space in Bay View.
Women in Business Summit will feature stellar panel
A panel of accomplished southeastern Wisconsin business leaders will convene at the second annual BizTimes Women in Business Summit to be held at the BizTech Conference & Expo on Thursday, May 12.
The panel will include:
- Deborah Ford, chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
- Kimberly Kane, president of Tempo Milwaukee and director of client solutions at The Novo Group in Milwaukee.
- Michelle Mason, managing director at the American Society for Quality in Milwaukee.
- Christine Specht, president and chief operating officer, Cousins Subs in Menomonee Falls.
- Kim Marotta, vice president of corporate responsibility, MillerCoors in Milwaukee.
The discussion will be moderated by BizTimes reporter Alysha Schertz.
The panel will discuss a variety of issues, including their career paths, the need for more women on corporate boards, resources for women in business, mentoring and best practices.
The conference also will include presentation of the first BizTimes Woman Executive of the Year Award.
BizTimes Media LLC is seeking nominations for the award, which will honor a woman who has been successful as an entrepreneur or as a prominent executive within a corporation.
The winner will have demonstrated success in three ways:
(1) Leadership in the organization that produced tangible business growth.
(2) Innovation in business.
(3) Leadership in the community.
Letters of recommendation from peers and employees are encouraged. Strong emphasis will be given to accomplishments in the past year.
The winning applicant must live and work in southeastern Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Walworth, Kenosha, Racine, Ozaukee, Washington or Sheboygan County).
The nominations will be judged by a panel of members of Tempo Milwaukee, and the winner will be selected by BizTimes. The winner will receive the award at the BizTimes Women in Business Luncheon to be held at the BizTech Conference & Expo on Wednesday, May 11, at Wisconsin State Fair Park.
For more information about the event, to register to attend or to nominate someone for the Woman of the Year Award, visit www.biztimes.com/women.
Cannella names Besasie president
Burlington-based Cannella Response Television announced today that Anthony Besasie has joined the company as president.
Besasie joins Cannella from Omnicom Group’s GMR Marketing in Milwaukee, where he had been chief marketing officer since 2005. During his marketing career, he also has held senior positions at Miller Brewing Company and McCann-Erickson/Interpublic Group’s Momentum Worldwide.
“Tony Besasie is a marketing pro with broad-based business acumen developed from working in a wide variety of industries, market conditions and business situations,” said Frank Cannella, founder and executive director of Cannella Response Television. “He has a long track record of business success and will be a real asset for our DRTV clients.”
Rob Medved, chief executive officer, Cannella Response Television, added, “Tony is a real hands-on leader who shares our vision for growth and knows how to mobilize a team of people to be focused on a common goal. Frank and I look forward to working closely with him as we expand on and strengthen our industry leadership position in 2011 and beyond.”
As chief marketing officer at GMR Marketing, Besasie was responsible for business development, positioning and marketing of the agency, cultivation of new service offerings and stewardship of the agency’s creative and analytics products. He led the development of the insights and analytics department, positioning the agency as the industry vanguard for ROI analysis.
Cannella Response Television is direct response television’s leading media agency, managing the world’s largest inventory of infomercials.
Sherman promoted at Visit Milwaukee
Jeannine Sherman has been named director of public relations for Visit Milwaukee, succeeding David Fantle, who left to take a position with Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
Sherman joined Visit Milwaukee in 2005, most recently serving as the organization’s public relations manager. In that position, she worked closely with regional, national and international travel media to increase awareness of Greater Milwaukee as a premier destination for leisure and business travel and conventions. Sherman brings more than 20 years of public relations and marketing experience to her new role at Visit Milwaukee.
“Jeannine’s skills and experience are assets to our organization,” said Paul Upchurch, Visit Milwaukee president and CEO. “Creating a positive image for Milwaukee in key media markets is critical in supporting our sales and marketing strategies. We’re pleased she’ll be taking on this new opportunity to direct Visit Milwaukee’s public relations team.”
“Milwaukee’s investment in tourism product has been substantial over the past decade. We’re a dynamic city with an enviable location and a positive story of reinvention and redevelopment to tell,” Sherman said.
Visit Milwaukee markets greater Milwaukee to tourists, and convention and meeting planners, both nationally and internationally.
Merge Healthcare bolsters leadership team
Merge Healthcare Inc., a West Allis-based health IT solutions provider, announced today that it has added two former Allscripts executives to its senior leadership team.
Steve Brewer will serve as executive vice president of product solutions and will have responsibility for the company’s solution strategy, marketing and business development teams.
Steve Martin joins as senior vice president of sales and will lead all of Merge’s global sales efforts.
Both Brewer and Martin joined Allscripts in 2007 through Allscripts’ acquisition of ECIN, a web-based Care Management provider. They both served on the ECIN management team, along with current Merge chief executive officer Jeff Surges, who was the CEO of ECIN for the nine years prior to the acquisition by Allscripts.
“I’ve known and worked with both Steve Brewer and Steve Martin for most of the last 20 years,” Surges said. “I’m thrilled to add them to the great team we already have in place here at Merge.”
“It was clear to me that Merge is uniquely positioned to be the dominant force as image interoperability plays an increasingly meaningful role as hospitals and physicians seek to leverage their electronic health record investments,” Brewer said. “I’m very pleased to be joining Merge at such a pivotal time.”
BizTimes Bubbler Executive of the Week
If you or someone you know would make a good candidate for the BizTimes Bubbler Executive of the week please send suggestions to alysha.schertz@biztimes.com
