Laura Huerta Migus

Arlington, Virginia

Laura Huerta Migus was appointed Deputy Director, Office of Museum Services, in July 2021. She comes to IMLS following her tenure as Executive Director of the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) in Arlington, Virginia, the world’s largest professional society promoting and advocating on behalf of children’s museums and children’s museum professionals. Throughout her career, Laura has been devoted to the growth and education of children, particularly those from underserved and under-resourced communities. Under her leadership, ACM pursued innovative and effective partnerships to leverage the power of children’s museums worldwide.

My Truth

Our connected world presents us endless opportunity to access to information and research in every part of our lives. However, this expansive access to information does not always make knowing how to use this information any easier. Parents, especially, are bombarded by a constant stream of new research studies, parenting techniques, data on student achievement, parenting blogs, etc., which compounds the already historically high levels of anxiety involved in parenting in the modern world.

Stories featuring Laura Huerta Migus

We’ve selected four projects from the 2021 Class of Fellows that show impressive potential in both their scope and capacity to address timely issues. 
Ascend FellowshipMay 25, 2023
Group of Ascend Fellows at Wind Cave National Park
My heart is filled with love and gratitude for the courageous community of leaders our Ascend at the Aspen Institute team works with everyday.  And I am simply delighted to share our Ascend at the Aspen Institute Impact & Inspiration Report. In this magazine-style 2022 Impact & Inspiration Report, you will meet just a few of those inspiring …

2022 Ascend Impact & Inspiration Report Read More »

PublicationFebruary 14, 2023
I started off the 2022 Aspen Ideas Festival at Aspen Words Book Ball, a passion project of Isa Catto and Daniel Shaw.
Ascend FellowshipJune 25, 2022
This year, the Aspen Idea Festival returns to in-person programming at our campus in the Rocky Mountains June 25 - July 1, 2022.
Ascend FellowshipJune 15, 2022
Four outstanding organizations and partnerships have been selected to receive flexible grant funding to accelerate their work moving children and families with low incomes toward educational success, economic security, and health and well-being. Ascend Impact Fund awardees are: “The Ascend Impact Fund is an extension of our investment in values-driven leadership to advance economic mobility …

Four Outstanding Projects Selected for Ascend Impact Fund Read More »

BlogDecember 9, 2020
Black Lives Matter. As a collective of leaders committed to advancing two-generation strategies to end multigenerational poverty, we believe that the only path to that outcome is through a reckoning with our past and present, and a fundamental shift in our institutions. This requires a new social contract to remedy the harms of White supremacy –a …

Undo A System of White Supremacy: The Call for a New Social Contract Read More »

BlogJune 29, 2020
As the hub for breakthrough ideas and collaborations that move children and their parents toward educational success and economic security, Ascend is intensifying its efforts in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic to highlight 2Gen solutions that Ascend Fellows and the Ascend Network have developed over the past decade to help families reach their potential. Ascend is examining how new solutions, …

WEBINAR: State Opportunities and Challenges in Advancing Child Care Innovation Read More »

BlogMay 11, 2020
In a time of crisis, leaders emerge. The Harvard Business School underscored this point with an article by Professor Bill George on 10 outstanding leaders who have stepped up during the current COVID-19 pandemic. It’s especially important as we honor women leaders who have broken barriers during Women’s History Month that we also recognize women …

Coronavirus SHEroes: Building a Better Future for Families Read More »

BlogMarch 30, 2020
Kwame AnkuChairman and CEOBlack Star Fund Sacramento, CAMy Vision – The problem I am focusing on solving is breaking the economic disparity cycle afflicting people of the African diaspora. I call my bold vision 100X100. It is a vision of 100 Black investment managers who will each manage $100M innovation funds by 2025. I believe we …

2018 Ascend Fellow Action Plans Read More »

Ascend FellowshipJune 19, 2019
2018 Ascend Fellows
NEWS RELEASE Contact: Lindsay Broyhill Ascend at the Aspen Institute Tel: 202.721.5596 Lindsay.broyhill@aspeninstitute.org Prestigious Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship Announces 2018 Class of Leaders Diverse Leaders Selected for Their Groundbreaking Work Advancing Opportunity for Children and Families With Low Incomes Washington, DC, September 6, 2018 – The Aspen Institute announced today the 2018 class of Aspen …

Prestigious Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship Announces 2018 Class of Leaders Read More »

Press ReleasesSeptember 6, 2018

Convenings Featuring Laura Huerta Migus

Location: Aspen Meadows, 845 Meadows Rd, Aspen, CO 81611
At Aspen VisionXChange, we aimed to:...
ConveningJuly 31, 2023
– August 1, 2023
Location: Aspen, CO (in-person) & Live Webcast (virtual)
Mental health is on our minds and our lips, not hiding in the shadows, and we’re doing something to boost it. Hear from leaders who are making strong mental health a way of life – in state systems, in communities, and in our public spaces –...
ConveningJuly 31, 2023
Location: Aspen, CO
From San Antonio to Boston and from Los Angeles to Cincinnati and thousands of communities between, the Power of Place is about unearthing collective purpose and capital. Hear from visionaries who zero in on historical traumas to rebuild trust and a...
ConveningJune 26, 2022
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
A discussion between Wendy Ellis and Laura Huertas Migus about the development, implementation, and learnings from their founding of a truth and racial reconciliation project....
ConveningJune 8, 2021