Michele J. Goldsmith Honored with Darlene Briggs Marine Woman of the Year Award

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has named Michele J. Goldsmith the recipient of the 2026 Darlene Briggs Marine Woman of the Year award. Goldsmith is vice president and general manager of the Soundings Trade Only Group, a sister property of Soundings, and a former publisher of Soundings. The award recognizes an exceptional woman who is actively involved in the boating and marine industry, celebrating sustained service, tireless commitment, and meaningful advancement of women across the marine business.

Colleagues and industry leaders praised Goldsmith for her long-standing leadership and for creating opportunities that connect and elevate professionals across the sector. William Sisson, a past editor-in-chief of Soundings Trade Only and executive editor of Anglers Journal, highlighted Goldsmith’s role as a “groundbreaker and a change agent.” In a recommendation letter Sisson noted that after 32 years in the industry, Goldsmith’s Women in the Industry events stand out as a signature achievement. Over the last two years she organized and hosted 11 Women in the Industry events, including the first large-scale, in-person leadership forum for women at IBEX, which featured an all-female industry leadership panel and drew more than 150 attendees.

Goldsmith’s career in boating began in 1991 at Todd Enterprises, where she worked with her father. She later joined Charles Industries in 2000 as director of sales and marketing for the marine division and earned an American Boat & Yacht Council electrical certification. Her experience spans sales, marketing and product development leadership roles at companies such as Paneltronics, Mastervolt, Power Products and Lippert before she joined Active Interest Media in 2018 as publisher of Soundings Trade Only.

Throughout her career, Goldsmith has been especially focused on programs that mentor, retain and advance women within the marine industry. She launched the quarterly Women in the Industry series, a recurring forum for female boating professionals to network, share insights and develop leadership skills. In 2022 she expanded that series internationally through partnerships with British Marine, Marine Industry News and Metstrade, establishing an annual in-person panel event at the Amsterdam show to broaden the global reach of the program.

Two years ago she introduced the 1+1 mentoring program, which pairs newer professionals with experienced industry leaders for focused 30-minute virtual conversations. According to organizers, the program has hosted nearly 200 mentor-mentee sessions to date, and survey data shows that roughly 90% of participants have kept in contact beyond their initial meeting. A new edition of the mentoring series was scheduled for June 2024, demonstrating ongoing commitment to building sustained professional relationships.

“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.” Her approach emphasizes practical, actionable programming that helps participants build confidence, expand professional networks and access leadership pathways within the marine sector.

Beyond programming, Goldsmith has offered long-term governance and volunteer leadership to the industry. She has served on or chaired numerous boards and associations, including more than 15 years on the National Marine Manufacturers Association board of directors. She was among the first women to serve as chair of the Marine Accessories & Components Division board for NMMA and was the first woman appointed to the ABYC technical board of directors, where she served two consecutive five-year terms. These roles underline her influence on policy, standards and industry governance.

The Darlene Briggs Marine Woman of the Year award highlights not only Goldsmith’s personal achievements but also her broader impact on inclusion and mentorship in boating. Her work—spanning editorial leadership, event creation, mentoring initiatives and board service—has helped make the marine industry more connected, diverse and welcoming for future generations of leaders.

This article was originally published in Soundings Trade Only.