While millions across the globe were deeply impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic, it was deeply personal for Lori Marciniak whose charge was to keep a HANDS ON children’s museum relevant when everyone was mandated to remain home and in isolation. Rather than sit idly by, Lori issued a rally cry and worked around the clock to re-invent the Curious Kids Museum’s presence in the community of Michigan’s Great Southwest. Utilizing every source of social media to remain on the forefront, working to maintain donor dollars, applying for emergency grants and a critical PPP loan to keep operations viable for her staff, Lori emerged from the pandemic lock-downs and returned the beloved museum to the masses when they needed an escape to fun and learning once again. Read on for more of Lori’s uncanny ability to assess situations and react with confidence and boldness as told by her nominator.
Name
Lori Marciniak
Where do you live?
Baroda, MI
Company or Organization
Curious Kids’ Museum and Curious Kids’ Discovery Zone
What is your job or role there?
Executive Director
How do you think that Bold Women of Business demonstrate being bold?
By having strong self-awareness – owning your strengths and your weaknesses. And by recognizing that being bold does not mean being careless – know when to take bold action, but also know when you are out of your element. Engaging others that complement your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses enables you to take bold action.
Bold women are often defined by a number of descriptors. Please choose from the following descriptors to produce the top three that you would say most exemplify your personality?
Confident…Bright…Strong
Please provide an example of when you feel you were at your very best in taking action on the job or in your role.
When the exhibit committee and I worked on a Curious Kids’ Museum designed traveling exhibit! At my interview to join the Curious Kids’ Museum, I asked if the museum had ever considered creating their own traveling exhibit, since the Curious Kids’ Discovery Zone rented exhibits from other museums/companies a couple of times a year. Traveling exhibits rent for $45-50K for a 4-month timeframe and it seemed like a great way to increase revenue. The interview committee thought maybe we were too small of a museum to take on that risk/task, but I was sure we had some local talent (maybe some retired Whirlpool engineers?) that could help guide us through the process, and that we could raise the money to do so (at that time it was over $400k, but since traveling exhibits can travel for over 10 years (and we could periodically put it in CKDZ, saving us $45-50k when it was in there) I was sure the ROI was there). We worked with an exhibit design company, found that retired Whirlpool person (former COO) to help, fundraised and wrote grants, and now we have “Dream with da Vinci” an amazing traveling exhibit that brings in added revenue to benefit the Curious Kids’ Museum and Curious Kids’ Discovery Zone!
What’s the funniest thing that ever happened on your road to success?
Since this is a Bold Women of Business award, maybe someone can relate. Our first child was adopted, so my “return to work” was fairly uncomplicated. After our second child was born (2nd child but 1st biological, 1st birth and 1st time breastfeeding), I was Director of Engineering at Zenith Data Systems and felt driven (and a bit of pressure) to return to work earlier than maybe I should (this was 27 years ago). I was (the only female) in a meeting with people from across the globe, and have to admit, it was fun and exhilarating to be back at work. I was up at the front of the room, presenting, and had definitely lost track of time (and that I should have taken a break long before this moment). I’m presenting the technical details of a new project, and all of a sudden feel my milk drop and before I know it, I have two huge wet circles on the front of my dress, and it is too late (wayyy too late)! My boss doesn’t skip a beat, gets up and walks to the front of the room and says, “I think we need to take a break, Lori is leaking way too much information about this project!” Everyone in the room cracks up (breaking the awkward silence), we take a break, I pump and dry out, and the meeting continues.
Who most inspires your personal drive for success every day?
The guests and donors of the museums motivate and inspire me to work hard to make the museums an amazing place to play and learn. When you hear a kiddo say, “this was the best day ever!” after playing at the museum or have a donor who believes in your mission and gives an unrestricted donation, you want to keep doing better…for them.
What is your best advice to women in Southwest Michigan looking to succeed, as you have, in business?
Believe in yourself! Be positive, add energy to every situation, laugh a lot, and have fun. So much of success is about your attitude and mindset.
What does your selection to the first ever Bold Women of Business from Moody on the Market mean to you?
I am so grateful to have been nominated as a Bold Woman of Business, and to be selected is super exciting! To know that someone thought of me when they heard about the Bold Women of Business, and then took the time and effort to nominate me is super special. I absolutely love my second career (children’s museum director) and am appreciative of the opportunities my first career (electrical engineer/director of engineering) gave me. I’m so happy and thankful to be selected.
