Lucio Ventura Bio

Lucio Ventura is the Executive Director of Operations in the Department of Protection Services at The Art Institute of Chicago where he is responsible for the security, safety and visitor experience.

The AIC located in downtown Chicago is the second largest art museum in the United States housing a world-renowned encyclopedic collection of approximately 300,000 works of art that spans centuries and the globe. Each year, the AIC is visited by approximately 1.7 million people, hosts over 1200 events, conducts 30+ exhibitions, and was rated the #1 museum in the world by TripAdvisor travelers in 2014.

In his current role, Lu leads a large-scale proprietary and contract security team and oversees the implementation of best-in-class programs, procedures, equipment and training while leveraging state-of-the-art technologies in our day-to-day operations.

Lu has also worked to integrate systems for easier input, improved tracking and analyzing of information – all in an effort to decrease complexity and make more informed business decisions.

Twenty-five years ago, Lu began his career at the AIC. After starting as a gallery security officer, Lu received various promotions and has held twelve progressive leadership positions at the museum and at the school – The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

As SAIC Assistant Director of Campus Security, Lu led numerous security and technology projects which led him to his previous role as the AIC Security Systems Coordinator. In this position Lu working alongside the Technical Services team researched, selected and implemented all of the technology – hardware, software and systems – currently used to safeguard our museum staff, visitors, art and facility.