Laura Lott

Laura L. Lott is a nonprofit executive, certified public accountant, and the current president and chief executive officer of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Lott became the ninth president and the first woman chief executive of the AAM in May 2015.McGlone, Peggy, American Alliance of Museums picks current COO to be new chief executive, The Washington Post, March 19, 2015.
== Early life and education ==
Lott was born Laura Gundert on December 27, 1975 and grew up in the Hudson Valley of New York.Politico staff, Birthday of the Day: Laura Lott, president and CEO at the American Alliance of Museums, Politco, December 27, 2020.Graves, Lucia, Meet the Woman Who Wants to Mainstream Museum Education, The Atlantic, September 11, 2015. She received her Bachelors of Science degree from Kogod School of Business at American University|The American University. She earned her CPA, and gained public accounting experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers with a focus on nonprofit clients.Behle, Alex and McCrary, Jamie, Kogod Alumna Advances Non-profit and Women Leadership, American University website, July 9, 2018.
== Career ==
=== Early ===
Prior to joining AAM, Lott served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer of The JASON Project. In the late 90s, Lott helped launch the MarcoPolo: Internet Content for the Classroom program at the former MCI Foundation and managed its partnerships with 50 state departments of education, as well as MCI’s community relations programs.Graves, Diane, Marco Polo: Showing Teachers How to Use Internet Content in Their Classrooms, edutopia, October 1, 2000.
=== CEO of the American Alliance of Museums ===
Lott served as the chief operating officer of the American Alliance of Museums for five years before becoming the chief executive officer in 2015. Lott helped lead the 2012 re-launch of AAM, including rebranding the organization and introducing changes to it's operations.McGlone, Peggy, American Alliance of Museums picks current COO to be new chief executive, The Washington Post, March 19, 2015. 
As CEO, Lott led the development of the Alliance’s 2016-2020 strategic plan emphasizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of museums’ programs and structure; changing business models for financial sustainability; and museums’ growing role in K-12 education.Blooloop, AAM President, Laura Lott: Museums Are the Classrooms of the Future, Blooloop, October 17, 2016. In 2019, she launched an initiative to Diversity (business)|diversify museum boards and institute best practices of equitable governance in museums, Facing Change: Advancing Museum Board Diversity and Inclusion.Wallace, Nicole, $4 Million Grant Will Promote Board Diversity at Museums, Chronicle of Philanthropy, January 15, 2019. 
Lott was involved in the response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage. In March 2020, she issued a controversial warning that one-third of museums could close permanently as a result of widespread closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Pogrebin, Robin, Met Museum Prepares for $100 Million Loss and Closure Till July, The New York Times, March 18, 2020. The prediction was subsequently bolstered by museums' response to a survey fielded by the American Alliance of Museums and Dynamic Benchmarking.Bowley, Graham, Museum Directors Fear Permanent Closure, an Alliance Survey Shows, The New York Times, July 22, 2020. With museum advocates across the country, Lott advocated for much greater government relief funding for museums than provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.Di Liscia, Valentina, American Alliance of Museums Denounces Trump’s Delay of Pandemic Relief Negotiations, Hyperallergic, October 9, 2020. Relief was obtained through the 2020 Paycheck Protection Program and Shuttered Venues Operating Grants.Dafoe, Taylor, The Effects of the Pandemic May Not Be Quite as Devastating for American Museums as Once Feared, a New Survey Finds, artnet News, June 2, 2021.Vankin, Deborah, 16% of U.S. museums say they risk closing forever in a prolonged pandemic, LA Times, July 22, 2020.
== Personal life ==
Lott is an instrument-rated private pilot. She is married to Steven Lott. They have a daughter.Behle, Alex, Kogod alumni Steve and Laura Lott credit their time at AU for shaping their futures, American University website, June 27, 2018.
== Publications ==
Johnnetta Betsch Cole|Betsch Cole, Johnnetta and Lott, Laura, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion in Museums, Rowman & Littlefield, 2019.Shaindlin, Valerie Brett, IJIDI: Book Review, The Interntional Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion
Category:1975 births
Category:Non-profit executives
Category:People from the Hudson Valley