COOL JOBS: Allyson Montgomery – Executive Director of the Children’s Museum of Southwest Louisiana

by Kerri Cooke

Allyson Montgomery has been working for the Children’s Museum of Southwest Louisiana for 19 years. She attended McNeese State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations, and began her career as an assistant director fresh out of college.

Prior to securing the job, Montgomery had worked at a daycare and completed an internship with the Children’s Miracle Network where she was first introduced to nonprofit operations and fundraising. On joining the Children’s Museum, she says, “I was fortunate to find my passion early on. I’ve always loved being around kids, and the joy I get to bring to the community and families drives me to continue our mission.”

Since the Children’s Museum is a small nonprofit, staff members do a little bit of everything. During her tenure, Montgomery has managed employees, worked to fundraise, coordinated volunteers, planned special events and overseen marketing and public relations. These responsibilities are still part of her current role as executive director, which she was promoted to a few years ago.

The mission to move the Children’s Museum to Port Wonder began in 2018. By the time Hurricane Laura hit in 2020, Port Wonder was ready to break ground. After COVID-19, two hurricanes, many delays and a lot of hard work, the Children’s Museum, along with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Nature and Science Center, is now open at Port Wonder.

“I’ve been part of the Port Wonder project since the beginning,” Montgomery says. “The local entities involved worked with a design team out of Massachusetts, Cambridge Seven, and an exhibit fabrication team of Nashville, 1220 Exhibits. We worked with them on concepts and schematic designs, shop drawings, prototypes and installation.”

With the reopening of the Children’s Museum, Montgomery says her goal is to “continue the same mission and legacy but present things in new, innovative ways.” There are exhibits children of all ages can enjoy within the museum’s four galleries. In the Nature Gallery, families can explore our local ecosystem while learning about Earth’s water cycle and the types of insects and creatures that can be found in their own backyards and region. The Health Gallery encourages exploration of the five senses and body systems. In the Tech Gallery, children learn about light, chemistry, simple machines, air dynamics, physics and energy. In the City Gallery, children can find beloved classics like Sunny’s Market, Cowboy Café, Waterside Vet Clinic, Music Hall, Safety Square and KSWLA News. There is also a room dedicated to the Port of Lake Charles in which children can virtually load ships and watch them sail away. There are a few other surprises too. The museum will still feature an art room called the Maker’s Space and a STEM area called the Tinker Lab. Both will offer weekly activities and hands-on projects. There is a classroom wing to be used for birthday parties, summer camps and other meetings.

“The exhibits are reimagined and better than before,” Montgomery says. “I researched other children’s museums around the country and region to decide what type of concepts to include here. We worked on making everything unique to our facility, tying in the region’s culture, history and industries found locally.”

Now that the museum is finally open, Montgomery hopes “people can tell when they enter the amount of passion and time that went into making it special for our community. It’s incredible to be part of a team that shares the same passion as I do. Everyone involved gave it their all and made it happen with the help of our community partners and sponsors.”

As to why Montgomery thinks she has one of the coolest jobs in SWLA, she says, “I am constantly meeting new people and bringing joy to children and families. Everything is always changing and evolving. I don’t get bored, and I have the opportunity to share my passion with others. Hopefully, I can spark something in a child that inspires them in the future.”

Ticketing for Port Wonder is temporarily online only to control capacity. Members also need to reserve time slots online. Tickets are $6 for the Science and Nature Center and $16 for the Children’s Museum. For more information, please visit www.swlakids.org.