Awareness, inspiring future scientists, all part of new board member’s plans
LAS VEGAS – The Las Vegas Natural History Museum has named Heather Valera to its board of directors. Currently the marketing director for Galleria at Sunset, Valera’s experience in marketing and partnership building will help the museum attract new visitors and expand its reach within the local community.
As a board member, Valera will help the organization to meet its mission of inspiring the public to gain a better understanding and appreciation of the natural world, the sciences and themselves through educational exhibits and programs. The organization’s influence on the destinies of children is especially of significance to Valera, and her experience at the Galleria at Sunset has been welcomed.
“The Las Vegas Natural History Museum has been inspiring children for more than two decades now, and it’s a vital local institution that will help our children explore and understand the world around us,” Valera said. “Our children are our future, and it’s important that we as a nation recognize the importance of science in our future ability to compete worldwide. The museum is one of many frontiers where we can help our children gain the necessary advantages that will allow them to do just that.”
Achieving that goal will now be that much easier, thanks to Valera’s professional experience in marketing. Since joining the Galleria at Sunset team in 2006, Valera’s efforts in building programs and partnerships with various community organizations – the mall hosts more than 100 community group events each year – have built, and continue to help build, a sense of community Southern Nevada’s residents have come to expect from the Galleria at Sunset. Additionally, Valera played an instrumental role in bringing two traveling museum exhibits to the Galleria at Sunset as part of a collaboration with the Henderson Space and ScienceCenter and the City of Henderson in 2010 and 2011. It’s this type of community building that she hopes to bring to the organization.
“We have a wonderful resource at our fingertips,” Valera said. “The key now is to make the public aware of all that the Las Vegas Natural History Museum has to offer, and I look forward to helping the board develop programs that will capture the public’s imagination and bring a new level of awareness to what the museum has to offer.”
Located at 900 N. Las Vegas Blvd., the Las Vegas Natural History Museum opened in 1991 and is a private, non-profit institution dedicated to educating children, adults and families in the natural sciences, both past and present. Through its interactive exhibits, educational programs, and the preservation of its collections, the Museum strives to instill an understanding and appreciation of the world’s wildlife, ecosystems and cultures.
The Galleria at Sunset opened in 1996 and is anchored by Macy’s, JCPenney, Dillard’s, Kohl’s and Dick’s Sporting Goods. It features retailers such as Coach, bebe, Buckle, Forever 21, Abercrombie&Fitch, Victoria’s Secret, Brookstone and more. Owned and operated by Forest City Enterprises, the 1,048,000-square-foot regional shopping center is the only enclosed mall in Henderson and one of the largest in Southern Nevada. In addition to retail, the Galleria at Sunset boasts two full-service and 11 fast food restaurants.
For more information on the Galleria at Sunset, visit http://www.galleriaatsunset.com or contact the mall’s information center at 702-434-0202.