The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas named Michele J. Goldsmith winner of the Darlene Briggs Marine Woman of the Year award. Goldsmith is vice president and general manager of the Soundings Trade Only Group, which is a sister property of Soundings. She is also a former publisher of Soundings.

The award recognizes an outstanding woman who is actively involved in the boating industry, highlighting dedicated service, persistent commitment and the advancement of women in the marine business.

“Michele has been a groundbreaker and a change agent since she first entered the industry,” William Sisson, a past editor-in-chief of Soundings Trade Only and executive editor of Anglers Journal, stated in a letter of recommendation. “After 32 years, her series of Women in the Industry events may well be her tour de force. In the last two years, Michele has developed and hosted 11 Women in the Industry events. She hosted the first large-scale, in-person leadership event for women at IBEX this year, creating the first all-female industry leadership panel, and had more than 150 attendees. Michele thrives on forming new connections between individuals and associations, helping to unify our marine ecosystem, and works tirelessly to make the marine industry stronger, more diverse and welcoming.”

Goldsmith started her marine industry career in 1991, working with her father at Todd Enterprises. She joined Charles Industries in 2000 as director of sales and marketing for the marine division and earned an American Boat & Yacht Council electrical certification.

After holding positions in sales, marketing and product development leadership for Paneltronics, Mastervolt, Power Products and Lippert, Goldsmith joined Active Interest Media in 2018 as publisher of Soundings Trade Only.

Among the industry events Goldsmith created and manages are the quarterly Women in the Industry series for female boating professionals. In 2022, she took the Women in the Industry series global, partnering with British Marine, Marine Industry News and Metstrade to create an annual in-person panel event at the show in Amsterdam.

Two years ago, Goldsmith established a 1+1 mentoring program to connect new industry professionals with industry leaders through 30-minute virtual conversations. To date, the program has hosted nearly 200 sessions, with the next edition scheduled for June 2024. And survey data indicates that about 90% of mentors/mentees have remained in contact with each other.

“My enduring motivation lies in serving the industry, contributing to its growth and facilitating opportunities for the next generation of leaders, particularly women,” Goldsmith said in a statement. “I am committed to creating empowering spaces for them to connect, network, learn and build a supportive community.”

Goldsmith has served on or chaired numerous boards and associations, and has accrued more than 15 years on the National Marine Manufacturers Association board of directors. She was one of the first women named chair of the Marine Accessories & Components Division board of directors for NMMA. She was also the first woman on the ABYC technical board of directors, serving two consecutive five-year terms.

This article was originally published in Soundings Trade Only.