Lonna Converso was born in Chicago and raised in Mount Prospect. She has lived here in Rockford for 11 years, so we are happy to call her one of our own. If you are a visitor to Midway Village Museum, it is quite possible that you have seen her around. She is a busy woman, but if you have a chance, say hello to her. She is a sweet person and very nice to have a conversation with.
Lonna is the Director of Marketing and Social Media at Midway. Before coming to Rockford, she spent her work life in the Park District industry in Waukegan and then Lake County Forest Preserve. By her mother’s suggestion and her love for history, she found her way to Midway Village Museum. After being a visitor for a few years, the Marketing Director position opened up, and she hasn’t looked back since. She has been there for about nine years now, and the museum attendance is stronger than ever. Midway Village itself is an amazing place to explore, but thanks to Lonna’s efforts, they are always looking for new and creative ways to bring people in, and it is working!
Growing up, Lonna Converso was always a creative kid, especially with words. She was writing before she knew how to even spell. She would write down daily observations in a journal and did her best to write out the words by how they sounded. She was about three at the time. She still has the journal to this day, and it is always funny to look back on it. As she grew up, she would ride her bike to the Mount Prospect Library and get lost in it for hours. Looking at the books, reading the books, and just surrounding herself with what she loved – literature and creativity. Her education took her to an undergrad degree in Communications with a focus on Journalism from Loyola University of Chicago and then to a Masters of Public Relations and Organizational Comunication from Northeastern University. She has always loved the written word, and photography as a visual art form, and that makes her successful in her job today.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with who two daughters, ages 14 and 20. They go on all sorts of recreational adventures and travels – book store cruising, shopping, bike riding, visits to Rock Cut. They are very close and enjoy the time together.
Lonna Converso’s favorite thing about Rockford is that it is a little big city. It has all of the amenities of a big city, but has the charm of a rural town. She also enjoys how all it takes is a fifteen minute drive and you can be out in the country. She finds that people here are very kind and there is a strong sense of neighborhood pride.
Fun Facts:
Favorite Movie: Right now, the new Beauty and the Beast. She has always loved the story and was very pleased with how they did the new one.
Favorite Book: Do It Now by W. Clement Stone. When she was in high school, she was part of the student council. They saw him give a speech at a leadership council in Chicago, and she went on her read his book. It is about inspiration and not putting off what you might want to do because there might not be a tomorrow.
TV Show: Friends
Music: Classic Rock
Lonna says she is the biggest klutz. She is always running into things and dropping things.
She enjoys cooking but isn’t very good at it. “I burn toast regularly”
She had a store in Florida that sold beach-themed antiques from between 1920 and 1980. She also rented out bicycles. She managed it from up here, but it was too hard to manage while living so far away. It was open for two years, and she finally closed it in September of last year. She did all of that while working full time at the museum.
Lonna is always looking for more creative outlets in her life!