Regina Bain

(She/Her)

Executive Director

Regina Bain serves as the Executive Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

The museum was honored with the 2024 United States National Medal for Museums and Libraries, from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency and the premier institution for libraries and museums in the nation. The Medal celebrates the museum’s work in community.

The Louis Armstrong House Museum preserves the landmarked home and archives of jazz icon, Louis Armstrong, and develops programs grounded in the values of artistic excellence, education and community.

Regina’s LinkedIn Profile.

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Bain’s accomplishments during her tenure include:

  • Setting a strategic vision for the museum that expands the programmatic reach to include 1) Preserving the legacy through guided tours of the home alongside archival research 2) Artistic Excellence through performances and commissioned work from contemporary artists, 3) Education through onsite, online and classroom experiences for K-12 students, including instrument education and 4) Community through exchanges for mutual learning and support, including justice arts, and housing workshops.

  • Connecting the programmatic vision to a fundraising strategy to increase the annual income from 1.2M in 2019 to 2.7M in 2025 to a projected 3M+ over the next 5 years.

  • Construction of a new, 14,000 sq. foot, 26-million-dollar museum education center including a performance space, archive and multimedia exhibition.

  • Preservation of the landmarked historic home, including earning 1.25M in Capital funds in 2024 to conserve the home and facilitate public tours.

  • Leveraging a 3M investment by the city of New York to begin the renovation of Selma’s Place, the donated home of Selma Heraldo, next door to the historic house.

  • Preservation of the Armstrong Archive, the largest of any single jazz musician, for scholarship, and digitized storytelling including a 125K, 2023 Save America’s Treasures Grant.

  • Conceiving and curating the museum’s new Global Ambassadors Program, including traveling with the U.S. State Department to Manama, Bahrain to present on the power of art and culture in diplomacy, and the Armstrong in Ghana initiative of exhibition and programs.

Previous to her appointment at LAHM, Ms. Bain served as Associate Vice President of the Posse Foundation — a national leadership and college access program, where she supported Executive Directors in 10 cities, led the staff training team, and facilitated large and small group dialogue on issues of identity and power. Bain is currently a co-facilitator of Culture @3, a community of cultural leaders in New York, recently served on the Yale University Alumni Board of Governors, and is a Board Member of New York City Tourism and Conventions.