The Michael Goldberg Leadership Award honors distinguished leadership and a lasting commitment to the performing arts in Wisconsin. Established in 2000 by Joseph Ferlo during his term as Chair of the Wisconsin Presenters Network, the award was created to recognize presenters whose leadership reflects the qualities that defined Michael Goldberg’s remarkable career: generosity, mentorship, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to artistic excellence.

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Michael Goldberg was a central figure in Wisconsin’s performing arts community for more than four decades. He served as Director of the Wisconsin Union Theater from 1980 to 2003, as Vice President of Programming at the Overture Center, and as Director of the Coronado Performing Arts Center in Rockford, IL. Across those roles, he became known as a thoughtful and generous leader, a trusted colleague and mentor, and an exceptionally discerning advocate for the arts. His guiding philosophy was simple: "book the best." Whatever the genre, audiences deserved the opportunity to experience artists and performances of the highest quality.

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That commitment to excellence was matched by Michael’s remarkable ability to bring out the best in the people around him. Colleagues and mentees remember his intelligence, humor, encouragement, and relaxed management style, and the genuine enthusiasm with which he shared his deep knowledge and love of music, theater, and the performing arts. ​The award’s first recipient was Jim O’Connell in 2000. The rarity of the award reflects the high standard Michael set and the esteem in which it is held within the Wisconsin Presenters Network community.

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Michael died in February 2026 at the age of 82. His legacy lives on not only through the artists and audiences he served, the colleagues and mentees he encouraged, and the institutions he helped shape, but also through this award that bears his name. The Michael Goldberg Leadership Award is, in many ways, a fitting tribute to his life and career: a recognition of those who lead with generosity, champion excellence, and understand that great presenting is ultimately about bringing the very best of the arts to their communities.