Dr. Laura Crossley

Laura is a specialist in audience development and engagement, programming, strategic planning, evaluation, and workplace culture. She cares about supporting museums and arts organisations to create cultures and experiences that centre and care for people, communities, and the planet.

Recent clients include York Museums Trust, Culture Croydon, The Portico Library, Manchester Art Gallery, The British Library, Museum Development Midlands, and Group for Education in Museums. She has worked in senior leadership positions at Oxford University Museums and the National Football Museum. She is also an experienced mentor and qualified coach.

Laura is a Clore Cultural Leadership Fellowship (2023/24) and has been awarded Clore/Arts and Humanities Council-funded to conduct in-depth research into burnout and workforce cultures in the arts. She is a Trustee of the Association of Independent Museums; a member of the Safer Museums Network Steering Committee; and an AMA mentor for the UK Museums Association. She has a PhD in Museum Studies, which explores resilient community engagement practice in museums.

Dr. Laura Crossley will be speaking at the MuseumNext Forecast Summit 2025 :

Signals of change: 100 inspiring voices

Signals of change: a glimpse into the future. This session shares insights from original research engaging 100 global leaders and changemakers —from economists to storytellers—distilling future signals and exploring them in conversation with museum leaders.