Peter Goldberg, president & CEO of The Families International group of nonprofits in Milwaukee, died suddenly August 12 of a massive heart attack while on vacation with his family in Maine. He was 63.

“This is a tragic loss for Peter’s family and the entire Families International network. We extend our deepest sympathies to Peter’s family,” said Richard J. Cohen, chairman of the Families International Board of Directors. Families International is the parent organization of the nonprofit Alliance for Children and Families, United Neighborhood Centers of America, Ways to Work, and the for-profit FEI Behavioral Health.

Cohen also said the Families International Board met to enact its executive succession plan, including appointing an interim CEO and launching a national search for a new CEO.

“We are guided by the key goals for 2011 that Peter articulated, and informed by his belief that we should strive for a better balance between outcomes and impact, and that a budget is a baseline of adequacy, not excellence,” said Cohen.

“Following the executive succession plan, the board decided that the best path forward includes naming Stephen Mack, current chair of the Alliance for Children and Families board, as interim CEO. The board wanted to ensure a steady hand at the helm and Steve’s role as chair of the Alliance for Children and Families Board will help ensure that happens,” said Cohen.

Cohen also said Mack will lead the board’s national search for a new CEO who can help build upon the successes of the five affiliated organizations.

“While we will greatly miss Peter’s personal and professional leadership, we have an experienced and excellent management team that has been directly engaged in creating and working toward our vision and mission,” said Cohen.

“I’m humbled that the board has asked me to take on this role, and I will continue Peter’s legacy during this interim period. I look forward to working closely with John Schmidt as chief operating officer and chief financial officer, in the weeks ahead,” said Mack.

A Mequon, Wis., resident, Goldberg had served as president/CEO of Families International since 1994.  He was also president and CEO of the Alliance for Children and Families, CEO of United Neighborhood Centers of America, and CEO of Ways to Work.

Prior to joining the Families International Group, Goldberg was president of the Prudential Foundation and head of Primerica’s foundation and its social responsibility programs. Goldberg also served as a board trustee of The Bridgespan Group, was chair of the advisory committee of the Listening Post Project at the Center for Civil Society Studies at John Hopkins University, and convening chair of Leadership 18, a group that consists of the major national nonprofit human services organizations in the United States.

He also served on numerous other nonprofit human service organization boards, including the National Human Services Assembly and Independent Sector, where he served as chair. The national nonprofit publication, The NonProfit Times, selected Goldberg to its Top 50 Power & Influence list nine times, including this year.

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