Meet Michael

Michael Sticka has led the GRAMMY Museum® since June 2018. He oversees the strategic direction of the Museum, including all financial and programmatic aspects, and its internationally known brand. Annually, the GRAMMY Museum produces more than 120 public programs & concerts in LA and NYC, impacts 35,000+ students through its national education programs, and curates more than 10 exhibitions. Since taking the helm in 2018, Sticka has overseen significant growth, both programmatically and financially, having led the Museum to achieve its highest attendance and fundraising revenue in its 15-year history.

Among his first tasks was to raise funds for a multi-million-dollar renovation of the Museum’s galleries and interactive experiences, none of which had been significantly updated since its opening in 2008. As a result of these renovations, the Museum built the only gallery in California dedicated to Latin Music and became the first museum in California to be a Certified Autism Center.

Once COVID-19 hit, he led the Museum under the mantra "DOORS CLOSED. MISSION OPEN." which resulted in the launch of COLLECTION:live, the official streaming service of the GRAMMY Museum, featuring more than 1,000 hours of artist programs and educational content, significantly scaling its brand and reach to music lovers worldwide. 

Three times during his leadership, he led community and industry stakeholders to collaboratively develop the Museum’s strategic plans, guiding the growth of its mission nationwide. With a focus on successful programmatic expansion, he formed a partnership with the Mayor's Office of the City of New York to launch the east coast presence of the Museum’s acclaimed Public Programs; and led the collaborative effort with the Recording Academy to revamp the GRAMMY Hall of Fame and founded the GRAMMY Hall of Fame Gala. In 2022, he recruited some of music’s biggest stars (Billie Eilish, Bruno Mars, Dua Lipa, Rosalia, & Shawn Mendes) to co-chair the Museum’s Campaign for Music Education, raising close to $9 million in less than 2 years.

Sticka's career in the arts began as a theatre box office associate and now spans 20+ years. In addition to a career straddling management consulting and nonprofit administration, his artistic passion led him to co-found a regional theatre company that produced innovative plays and musicals using puppetry.

In 2021, he was inducted in his high school Hall of Fame; and in 2023, he received Variety Magazine Hitmaker's first "Music Education & Advocacy Leadership Award". In 2025, he was recognized as an "Executive of the Year" by Billboard Magazine.

A true lover of the arts, music, theatre, food, wine, and golf, Sticka splits his time between Los Angeles and Napa with his husband, Brian, and their two dogs.