LAURA RAYBURN NAMED VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT AT GREAT LAKES SCIENCE CENTER

July 28th, 2011

CLEVELAND (July 28, 2011) – Great Lakes Science Center announces the promotion of Laura Rayburn to vice president of development. Rayburn will oversee all fundraising activities, plus lead and grow a robust institutional advancement program for Great Lakes Science Center.

Most recently, Rayburn served as the Science Center’s campaign director. Since her hire in January, Rayburn has led fundraising campaigns around permanent exhibits in the NASA Glenn Visitor Center and on the Steamship William G. Mather.

“In the past year, Laura has played a significant role in campaign cultivation, communication and solicitation strategies around exhibits that support the Science Center’s signature content areas, including aeronautics, biomedical technology, fresh water and advance energy,” said Linda Abraham-Silver, president and CEO of the Science Center. “With this promotion, Laura will continue to be a critical component of expanding upon our mission to stimulate interest and increase understanding of the sciences.”

Prior to joining Great Lakes Science Center, Rayburn was director of development and chief of staff at the Cleveland Orchestra. In various roles, Rayburn raised funds for annual operations and permanent endowments. She created the Orchestra’s highly successful corporate sponsorship program. Preceding her nonprofit work, Rayburn was a brand manager at ICI Paints, now AkzoNobel, and Nestlé USA.

Rayburn graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kent State University and received her MBA with a concentration in International Marketing from John Carroll University.

About the Great Lakes Science Center
Great Lakes Science Center is one of the nation’s leading science and technology centers and home to Northeast Ohio’s NASA Glenn Visitor Center. Its mission is to stimulate interest in and increase understanding of the sciences, with a particular emphasis on the interdependence of scientific, environmental and technological activities in the Great Lakes region. It features hundreds of hands-on exhibits, themed traveling exhibits, daily demonstrations, the awe-inspiring OMNIMAX® Theater and the Steamship William G. Mather. The Science Center is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Discounted parking is available for guests in the attached 500-car
garage. Great Lakes Science Center is generously funded by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. For more information, contact the Science Center at (216) 694-2000 or visit www.GreatScience.com.

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