Midland Center For The Arts Honors Tina S. Van Dam With Inaugural President’s Award

Midland Center for the Arts honored longtime community leader and arts advocate Tina S. Van Dam as the inaugural recipient of the President’s Award during the Center’s 2026 President’s Lunch, sponsored by Greenleaf Trust.

Held at Midland Center for the Arts, the annual luncheon welcomed more than 130 supporters, partners, and community leaders for an afternoon focused on the future of the Center, including progress on its transformational renovation, the reimagined Museum, and the vision guiding the organization’s next chapter.

The newly established President’s Award recognizes an individual whose extraordinary service, generosity, and belief in Midland Center for the Arts have made a lasting impact on the organization and the broader community. As the first recipient, Van Dam was recognized for her leadership, philanthropy, and unwavering support for the Center and the Midland community.

“Tina S. Van Dam has made a lasting difference in this community through the way she leads, serves, and shows up for others,” said Matt Travis, President & CEO of Midland Center for the Arts. “Her support for Midland Center and for the institutions that help a community thrive reflects a deep belief in connection, generosity, and shared responsibility. It was a privilege to honor her as the inaugural recipient of the President’s Award.”

After years of leadership on the boards of Center groups, she served on the Center Board from 2006 to 2013 and played a significant role in helping strengthen the organization’s future through the creation of two endowment funds supporting the Midland Symphony Orchestra. She also led the creation of Voices: Extraordinary Women of Midland County, a exhibition honoring the stories, leadership, and impact of women who helped shape the community.

Her civic leadership extends well beyond the Center. Van Dam served for 15 years as leader of the Midland 100 Club, helping to grow the organization’s impact to more than $2.1 million contributed to the community through the generosity of its 600 members. Her work with numerous organizations earned her recognition as Midland Philanthropist of the Year in 2022.

Professionally, Van Dam built a distinguished career at The Dow Chemical Company, where she served as an attorney and Corporate Secretary and was recognized as a national leader in corporate governance. Since making Midland her home in 1977, she has strengthened institutions, lifted voices, and inspired others through a life defined by service.

In her responsive comments, Van Dam expressed appreciation and said that in addition to economic benefits to the community of so many people coming to the Midland Center for the Arts, "This is a place where creativity thrives, where artistic and scientific expression is expected.  We come here to laugh, to connect, to learn, to be with like-minded friends as well as friends with different opinions, to appreciate music and art, to understand history and its importance, to bring our kids and out-of-town visitors, to enjoy so much talent and creativity – local and global.  Center is truly an apt name for this vital community asset."

The President’s Lunch serves as an annual opportunity for Midland Center for the Arts to gather donors, partners, and community stakeholders to celebrate progress, share organizational priorities, and look ahead to the Center’s future. This year’s event included remarks from Travis, a panel discussion featuring members of the museum design team, and opportunities for guests to view exhibit prototypes and tour areas of the renovation in progress.

Sponsored by Greenleaf Trust, the 2026 President’s Lunch highlighted the momentum surrounding Midland Center’s ongoing transformation and the people whose support continues to move that work forward.

“We are deeply grateful for Tina and for the example she continues to set,” Travis said. “Her leadership reminds us that strong communities are built by people who invest in others, believe in what is possible, and choose again and again to serve with purpose.”

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