Milwaukee's East Side Business Improvement District has found a new executive director.

David Smulyan will be the executive director of the East Side BID, the organization announced in a news release. The quasi-governmental group represents businesses around East North Avenue.

East Side BID Board President Jonathan Jackson said the organization recently completed a strategic planning process that helped inform the hiring process.

Smulyan has nearly 30 years of experience in strategic planning, marketing, business development and operations, the release said. His most recent work was with Community Development Financial Institution where he advised small business owners. He holds a MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

"(Smulyan) is a creative problem-solver with a passion for driving innovation and growth," Jackson said in the news release. "(Smulyan) has extensive strategic and operational experience as an executive and business consultant with profit and non-profit organizations that make him uniquely qualified to achieve the Board’s goal of building a strong coalition of business owners, property owners, and community organizations to enhance one of Milwaukee’s most vibrant neighborhoods.”

The previous executive director, Elizabeth Brodek, left the BID in July.

"The East Side has an incredible vibrancy and rich history. I am so excited to step into my new role,” Smulyan said in the release. “The Board leadership is comprised of a dynamic and dedicated group of individuals. I look forward to working closely with them to serve all the BID’s stakeholders and ensure the BID’s continued growth and success.”

The East Side BID is known for events like its Summer Soulstice street festival and Tomato Romp Festival.

Sarah Hauer can be reached at shauer@journalsentinel.com or on Instagram @HauerSarah and Twitter @SarahHauer. Subscribe to her weekly newsletter Be MKE at jsonline.com/bemke.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee's East Side BID hires David Smulyan as executive director