What People Are Saying
“Lorie is the consummate museum professional. As the Curator of Curiosity and the VP of Possibilities at Thanksgiving Point, and throughout her extensive career, Lorie has developed teams to take on new challenges and achieve exceptional results. She is a true leader that people choose to follow and emulate. One of Lorie’s greatest strengths is her comprehensive commitment to collaboration. Another superhero power of Lorie’s is her deep understanding that museums need to consistently change and evolve in good and powerful ways. She is at the forefront of helping the museum sector effectively and proactively manage transformation.”
— Mike Washburn, Former CEO Thanksgiving Point Institute
“The first thing that struck me about Lorie was the ease with which she created positive relationships with staff, colleagues, partners and constituents across the state, clearly inspiring loyalty, creativity and smart ideation. I also discovered her capacity for collaboration and co-creativity, quickly evolving initial ideas for programming and partnerships into implementable solution pathways that could meet the greater mission as well as specific needs of a given audience. I also saw her build bridges among disparate and apparently competing programs (and staff) to guide the emergence of cohesive, collaborative, and resilient new initiatives.”
— Jamie Creola, VP of Education, Interpretation, and Nature Center Operations, Audubon Institute
“Lorie Millward is a true Renaissance woman. She has amazing ideas and the business savvy to make them reality.”
— Shelby Rickart, Director, Puppets in the City Puppet Company, Salt Lake City, UT
“Lorie, you're a STAR! Thank you so much for your generous contribution. An entire country of 38,000 people says ‘DANKE, LORIE’!”
— Roman Eggenburger, designer and advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Education & Sport, Liechtenstein
“Lorie is a rare colleague: innovative, resourceful, principled, good-humored, and an all-around delightful person to work with. Simultaneously a rigorous and imaginative museum professional, Lorie’s long-standing contributions to the museum community have proven invaluable as she consistently models managerial excellence and best practices. Lorie’s work exemplifies but just a few of the ways in which she embodies a unique set of skills and expertise that compliment her overall professionalism and knowledge of inventive and visionary museum management concepts.”
— Sonja Lunde, Deputy Director, University of Vermont’s Fleming Museum of Art
“It is with great pleasure that I write this endorsement! I have worked with Lorie on several projects including Earth Connections, Shiyazhi Ambassador Ceremony, Indigenous Garden and Dreamstarter projects. She is easy to work with, open to different perspectives, inclusive in processing ideas to facilitate strategic planning. I admire her leadership skills to help train, network and foster collaboration between various groups, so that all of Utah's voices are heard when telling the beautiful, rich, cultural story of how we came to live here.”
— Eileen Quintana, Nebo Title VI Indian Education Coordinator, Dine’ Elder
“Lorie is a phenomenal mentor, team builder, collaborator, and advocate. She is inclusive in her communication and management styles which make possible dynamic conversations, creativity, innovation, and strong partnerships. Working one-on-one with Ms. Millward was always a great experience. She uses her knowledge, understanding, and experience to help build the skill sets of those with whom she works. It was a pleasure to work with and for Lorie.”
— Cathleen Twitchell Holt, Director of Development, The Other Side, Salt Lake City, UT & Denver, CO
“Lorie Millward is one of the most driven, focused, and inspirational leaders I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. From details to big-picture thinking, Lorie engages personnel and projects with equal aplomb, often going above and beyond expectations to meet goals that benefit the larger community. Lorie’s ethic focuses strongly on equity and inclusion. She is ever cognizant of the need to create spaces of belonging, whether in building audiences for exhibits and programs or challenging inequities in the field. I am proud to recommend Lorie Millward for any challenge under consideration. I am grateful to know this humble and hard-working professional who continues to be a trailblazer in the museum world.”
— Cecile Shellman, Museum DEAI consultant, author, American Alliance of Museums Diversity Fellow, Pittsburg, PA
“As a Board member, Lorie has tirelessly worked for the success of the of the Western Museums Association providing leadership and consensus building. As VP of Programs & Innovations during the pandemic, when our programming had to dramatically adapt to new realities, her problem solving acumen helped us navigate uncertain waters and successfully serve our members in new and exciting ways. In short, Lorie has an amazing amount of focused energy that she pours into everything she does, and is a delight to work with - when you can keep up!”
— Jason B Jones, Executive Director, Western Museums Association
Awards
Phil Notarianni Distinguished Service Award
Utah Museums Association, 2021
STEM Innovator of the Year
Office of Economic Development, 2015 (Inaugural recipient)
Manager of the Year
Thanksgiving Point, 2014
Academic Staff Excellence Award
University of Utah, 2012 Nominee