88Nine Names Interim Exec. Director

• There’s been some notable executive action inside the upper echelon of non-comm Triple A WYMS (88Nine Radio Milwaukee), as it was announced that Kevin Sucher is stepping down from his role as Executive Director after nearly two years to pursue other opportunities. The station’s board of directors has named Danae Davis as interim Executive Director while a search committee begins the formal process of permanently filling the position.

Ms. Davis (left) previously served on the Radio Milwaukee board of directors for nine years, including time as board chair. She currently serves as Executive Director of Milwaukee Succeeds, a nonprofit focused on improving educational outcomes for local students, and will continue in that role. “We appreciate Kevin’s work at Radio Milwaukee and his commitment to advancing our mission of being a catalyst for creating a better, more inclusive and engaged community. We wish him the best moving forward,” said Ross Williams, Chair of Radio Milwaukee’s board of directors. He added, “We’re very pleased to have Danae as interim executive director as she brings a high level of experience and understanding of Radio Milwaukee and our mission as an organization.” Davis remarked, “88Nine Radio Milwaukee is a special place, and I look forward to working with the excellent staff team and board and our many community partners to continue its mission of making our community a better, more inclusive place for everyone.”

Jordan Lee, 88Nine’s former Station Director who is now contracting with the station through his new position with Paragon Media Strategies, will help facilitate the leadership transition. For now, Radio Milwaukee will continue its normal operations in addition to projects in the community.

While there is no established timeline to name a permanent Executive Director, the process will be a thorough effort to find the most qualified individual who is the best fit for the job, as Williams noted, “We’d like to name a permanent executive director as soon as possible, but it will be a deliberate process, and we expect to have many talented applicants for the job. In the interim, we’re very confident in Danae’s leadership capabilities to continue moving our organization forward.”