Brookfield (April 11, 2022) – Sandy Wysocki, former publisher of MKE Lifestyle, has joined the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center in Brookfield as executive director. Situated in a beautiful, 400-acre park off of Capitol Drive, the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center focuses on delivering performing arts, arts education and visual arts experiences to young and old.
Wysocki began volunteering with the Wilson Center board of directors last summer as a way to support a local nonprofit in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. When the executive director position became available, she was approached by several board members who told her, “This job looks like it was created for you.”
Wilson Center board chair Mark Krause said the hiring team had a familiarity with Wysocki and was impressed with her communication skills, energy and business expertise.
Prior to leading MKE Lifestyle, Wysocki was vice president of business development at Mueller QAAS. In addition, she was chief development officer at the United Performing Arts Fund from 2016 to 2018 and worked for the Milwaukee Business Journal for 14 years, first as director of circulation and later as audience development director.
Krause says during the Covid-19 pandemic the Wilson Center had to change its business model. As a result, the board was looking for a specific skill set in its new executive director.
“We changed how we were doing things and began to look at how to effectively mesh mission and margin. In the past, we were so focused on our mission. We realized that, going forward, we needed to have a better handle on our resources and be a better fiduciary of the assets that were being entrusted to us,” Krause says. “In an executive director, we were looking for someone who had business experience and acumen. That person didn’t necessarily have to be an artistic director but someone who could help run the center in a more productive and efficient way. We think Sandy is that person.”
Wysocki had a number of professional and personal connections with the Wilson Center prior to her board involvement. During her time with UPAF, she worked with the Center. In addition, she’s attended several of the Center’s popular Starry Night events, the summer outdoor concert series.
“I’ve always had a great feeling when I’ve been at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center,” says Wysocki.
Wysocki explains her first goal as executive director is to grow her understanding of the staff, the Center’s programming and its many strengths.
The Sharon Lynne Wilson Center is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and will host its annual “Big Event” on June 4. The Center will honor Milwaukee philanthropist Kathryn Murphy Burke as its 17th annual EDDY award recipient and David Cecsarini/Next Act Theater as its educational excellence award winner.
“The Center has a strong history and very solid donor base,” Wysocki says. “One of the things I hope to do is to help expand our influence throughout the region and, as appropriate, bring in new audiences and new performers and expand the ability of the center to serve additional audiences.”
For more information, visit wilson-center.com.
