READ MORE ABOUT THE BETTY AWARDS
Those of us lucky enough to call Cream City home know all the things that make it special. But for visitors, the region’s magic – beyond breweries, cheese curds and German nosh – often comes as a surprise. Peggy Williams-Smith, the first female president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee, wants to change that. Her approach? “I tell the stories of the people who make Milwaukee a great place to live and visit.”
Williams-Smith grew up in Milwaukee and has been a fixture in the city’s hospitality scene since her career began at local bars and restaurants. Driven by the desire to help people turn moments into lasting memories, she took on leadership roles in country clubs and hotels – most recently, as a senior vice president for Marcus Hotels & Resorts.
JOIN US TO CELEBRATE THE BETTYS ON DEC. 4!
Her five-year tenure at Visit Milwaukee – she started at the beginning of the travel crisis spurred by the COVID pandemic – has been nothing short of impressive. She spearheaded the formation of the Milwaukee Theater District and led the successful bid for the 2024 Republican National Convention, integrating small businesses into the event. In her successful campaign to bring “Top Chef” to Milwaukee, she championed the city’s chefs, neighborhoods and food culture – and then capitalized on the momentum by coordinating “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” to film here as well.
While Visit touts the big economic impact from these events and tourism – $4.3 billion in 2024 – Williams-Smith makes sure to highlight small businesses to help them grow. “Making people happy is what drives me, and I get to help do that for these local business owners,” she says.
It’s the everyday moments that fuel her. When Williams-Smith watched one of the Bucks’ NBA Finals games in 2021 at a work conference in Baltimore, she recalls hearing people admire the Deer District on the screen. “People kept saying, ‘No way is that Milwaukee.’ I got to tell them, ‘Yep, that’s my city.’”
READ MORE IN THE BETTYS ROUNDTABLE
