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Lao graduated from the WIU Museum Studies program in 2011 and remains in the Quad Cities.
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WIU Alumna Lao Named Director of The Muscatine Art Center

August 27, 2026

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MOLINE, IL. — Western Illinois University Museum Studies graduate Kelly Lao ('11), a native of Rock Island, IL, has been named the next director of the Muscatine Art Center in Muscatine, IA, following a three-month national search.

Lao began her new role on August 3. She succeeds former Muscatine Art Center Director Melanie Alexander, who resigned in April.

Lao joins the Muscatine Art Center after serving as vice president of Museum Experiences at the Putnam Museum and Science Center in Davenport. During her time at the Putnam, she helped lead major museum initiatives, including the Putnam Re-Imagined capital campaign, which resulted in the development of seven new galleries, interactive exhibits and educational spaces.

She also led the acquisition of a Triceratops fossil, which is expected to go on display at the Putnam in 2027.

Lao has extensive experience in museum leadership, exhibit development, community engagement and arts advocacy. Her community involvement includes serving on the acquisition committee for the Figge Art Museum, the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce and the Quad Cities Community Foundation Scholarship Committee. She is also a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens and serves as president of the Iowa Cultural Coalition.

Before joining the Putnam in 2022, Lao spent more than a decade in leadership roles at the German American Heritage Center and Museum.

Lao earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Iowa and a master's degree in museum studies from WIU.

As director, Lao will oversee the Muscatine Art Center and work with staff, volunteers, board members and community partners to build on the institution's history and expand its role as a cultural and educational resource for the Muscatine community.

"Kelly exemplifies the kind of leadership our Museum Studies program strives to cultivate," Heidi Lung, Museum Studies Program director at WIU said. "She has become a driving force in the Quad Cities museum community, and her career is a powerful example for our current students of where a WIU museum studies degree can take them."

A public reception and welcome event will be held from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Muscatine Art Center.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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