Michael Cudahy, one of the driving forces behind moving Discovery World to Milwaukee’s lakefront, has stepped down from his co-chair position on the board of directors.
Cudahy will remain on the board. Allen Leverett, Cudahy’s co-chair for the past four years, has left the board.
Leverett, who became president of Wisconsin Energy Corp. in August, faced increasing limitations on his time, said Joel Brennan, president of Discovery World. He and Cudahy came to a mutual decision with the board to elect a new chair.
“The organization’s going to be best off moving forward with a single chair rather than a co-chair,” Brennan said. “Mike wants to see a new generation and the continued growth of the organization, and that’s why I think they were both glad to see Randy Crocker elevated to the new chairmanship.”
Crocker, an attorney at von Briesen & Roper s.c., was unanimously elected to replace Cudahy and Leverett. His term will expire at the end of 2015.
Leverett and Cudahy helped Discovery World improve its financial future and increase its educational outreach. They negotiated the sale of the former Discovery World site to the Milwaukee Public Museum in December and led a capital campaign this spring, raising $1.5 million in new pledges to repay the organization’s bank debt by the end of the year.
“Without Mike Cudahy, there would be no Discovery World as we know it today,” Brennan said. “Mike envisioned a vibrant educational engine on the lakefront, and Allen Leverett stepped in as his partner four years ago to make sure it would be strong and sustainable into the future. Their leadership and passion have enabled the organization to grow, and the board and staff have the responsibility to keep building on what they have started here for sake of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs who will create a stronger community.”
Cudahy, 90, is an entrepreneur, community advocate and philanthropist who received the BizTimes Bravo! Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.
