Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Sara Persky has extensive work experience in marketing and media planning. Their most recent role is Vice President of Marketing at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Prior to that, they held the same position at USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures, where they led the branding of the company and integrated multiple acquisitions. Sara also served as Vice President of Marketing at RAM Racing, overseeing marketing strategy for their endurance events. Before entering the marketing field, Sara worked at Carat USA as a Director of Planning, at Initiative as an Associate Media Director, and at Starcom Worldwide as a Media Supervisor. Sara began their career as an Assistant Media Planner at Temerlin McClain.
Sara Persky attended The University of Texas at Austin from 1998 to 2002. During their time there, they pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising, with a concentration in Media and a minor in Business.
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
The Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum serves as an urban gateway to the world of nature and science. The mission of the Academy and its Museum is to create a positive relationship between people and nature through collaborations, education, research and collections, exhibits, and public forums that foster urban connections to our region’s nature and science. Our vision is to be the leading voice on urban ecology and sustainability as it relates to the Midwest/Great Lakes region. Established in 1857, the Chicago Academy of Sciences has been educating the public about nature and science for over 159 years, making us Chicago’s oldest Museum. In 1999, the Academy established the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to serve as its new permanent home, amidst the abundant urban wildlife of Lincoln Park and the shore of Lake Michigan. Since its opening, the Nature Museum has had more than two million visitors, including over 308,000 in 2015, allowing us to maintain our place as the 6th largest museum in Chicago. The Chicago Academy of Sciences has a rich history of leading science education through outreach, exhibits, and conservation initiatives, and the Nature Museum proudly continues that tradition of leadership. Each year, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum provides over 76,000 educational contact hours through K-12 science education programs reaching students, primarily from underserved schools and communities. Through our outreach programs and on-site workshops, the Museum also provides teacher professional development to more than 1,700 teachers annually, as well as teacher training, curriculum, and material support to the schools and communities with the greatest need.