THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

"Laura is an important addition to the MCA. Laura's goals and experiences align with the museum's objectives during a time of great social and cultural change, making her a perfect leader for our communications initiatives," says Madeleine Grynsztejn. "Laura's communications acumen is proven and impressive, and her intuition for the needs of audiences will allow us to continue to increase engagement and attendance among harder-to-reach Chicago communities. With her dedication to serving on the Chicago History Museum's diversity, equity, and inclusion committee as well as the OUT at CHM committee in her previous role, I feel that she will provide invaluable insight towards building a more equitable, visible, and transparent MCA ."

Herrera has spent the last 15 years working in strategic marketing and branding across the technology, advertising, hospitality, and non-profit industries and holds a B.A. in Marketing Communications from Columbia College Chicago. In her career, Herrera has worked towards understanding and connecting with audiences, and increasing civic activism and restorative justice through internal and external initiatives. Herrera has experience with strategic planning, creative direction, media relations, advertising, and social media, and is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Herrera says, "I am honored to become a part of the visionary team at the MCA as the Senior Director of Communications and Content. I am grateful for the opportunity to guide the MCA in expanding the participation and engagement of multiple museum audiences, as well as fostering greater empathy, understanding, and perspective through our work. Transitioning from a history museum to a museum dedicated to the work and ideas of living artists, I am excited to collaborate with the most relevant contemporary voices of our time and bolster the vibrancy of one of the most influential cultural institutions in the world. The MCA consistently engages in revelatory conversations that move the dial towards social justice and civic exchange; I look forward to contributing to that legacy and connecting with the many communities that the museum serves."

At the Chicago History Museum, Herrera led the redesigns of the museum's brand identity and website as well as new social media initiatives that increased museum admissions, web traffic, and sales profits, for example Herrera's 'Chicago History at Home' social media campaign which increased social media engagement by 83% and monthly website visitors by 35%. During her tenure, Herrera's creative efforts included the Chicago Hot Dog Fest and monthly 'History Happy Hour' programs which contributed to consistent attendance growth and increased audience participation. With Herrera overseeing an integrated brand strategy throughout the pandemic, the Chicago History Museum's reopening in 2020 exceeded pre-pandemic general attendance numbers. Herrera joins the museum in September.