{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-23/wisconsin-center-district-brooks-settlement","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-23/wisconsin-center-district-brooks-settlement.md","title":"Wisconsin Center District pays fired CEO Brooks $350,000","headline":"Wisconsin Center District board approves $350,000 settlement with fired CEO Marty Brooks","description":"The Wisconsin Center District board approved a $350,000 settlement with fired CEO Marty Brooks on October 23 and voted to form a search committee for his successor.","section":"Legal & Disputes","published_at":"2026-10-23T16:00:52+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-23T16:00:52+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["The Wisconsin Center District board approved a $350,000 settlement with former president and CEO Marty Brooks on October 23.","The board terminated Brooks' contract in June over alleged inappropriate district credit charges, and his appeal was unsuccessful.","The board also voted on October 23 to form a search committee for a new president and CEO."],"companies":[{"name":"Wisconsin Center District","is_primary":true,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0008d6x/wisconsin-center-district","website":"https://wcd.org"}],"source":{"publisher":"Yahoo","title":"Wisconsin Center District settles with fired CEO Brooks for $350,000","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/wisconsin-center-district-settles-fired-154610552.html"},"other_sources":[],"tags":["Legal & Disputes","Wisconsin Center District"],"body_markdown":"The [Wisconsin Center District](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0008d6x/wisconsin-center-district) board approved a $350,000 settlement with Marty Brooks, its fired president and CEO, on October 23. [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/wisconsin-center-district-settles-fired-154610552.html) reported the figure, citing a source with direct knowledge who asked not to be named because the matter was discussed in closed session.\n\n## Wisconsin Center District Board Approves Brooks Settlement\n\nThe board went into closed session on October 23 and then returned to open session to \"approve the Marty Brooks settlement on the terms discussed in closed session.\" Board chairman Omar Shaikh said the board and Brooks had agreed to the terms, but that details would not be made public until the deal is signed. Board member Greg Marcus declined to comment after the meeting.\n\nInterim CEO Peggy Williams-Smith was not involved in the entire closed session but was brought in to be \"apprised as to what the communication method was going to be.\" \"We're going to be as transparent as legal allows us to be,\" Williams-Smith said after the meeting.\n\nThe board had previously claimed Brooks made inappropriate district credit charges, including expensive restaurant meals, a private club membership, musical theater tickets and unspecified professional services. In June the board voted to terminate his contract, which took effect in July. Brooks disputed the allegations and appealed the ruling but was unsuccessful. The board also voted on October 23 to form a search committee for a new president and CEO.\n\n## What Wisconsin Center District Records Show\n\nThe Wisconsin Center District is a quasi-governmental Milwaukee entity that operates three downtown venues, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data): the Baird Center convention center, Miller High Life Theatre and UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The same records state the three venues attract over one million visitors each year, that the Baird Center expansion project cost $456 million, and that staff grew to more than 500, roughly doubling since 2023. The district was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Milwaukee.\n\n## Earlier Moves in the District's Leadership Transition\n\nPeggy Williams-Smith was named interim president and CEO starting October 1, replacing James Kanter, Yahoo reported in September 2026. After Brooks' firing, the district initiated a search process to hire his successor, with its interim chief of staff discussing next steps for the transition, American City Business Journals reported in August 2026. Brooks was fired on July 22, 2026, and during his termination meeting publicly accused board members of conflicts of interest and alleged a vendetta by two Milwaukee aldermen against him, American City Business Journals reported.\n\n## Search Committee for a New President and CEO\n\nThe board voted on October 23 to form a search committee for the new president and CEO. The district's [own site](https://wcd.org) lists its venues and events.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}