FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ORLANDO, Fla., September 1, 2026 — The Laser Institute (LIA) has appointed Leeya Bridges as Director of Business Development. She joins the Institute's leadership team in Orlando and will lead corporate membership, sponsorship, and training growth across LIA's business units.

Bridges brings more than a decade of experience building revenue and partnership programs for mission driven organizations. Her career spans association and nonprofit advancement, where she developed corporate partnerships, sponsorship programs, and grant funded initiatives, and enterprise technology sales, where she managed executive relationships across healthcare, technology, and Fortune 500 accounts. She holds a degree in public policy and nonprofit leadership.

In her new role, Bridges will grow corporate membership and sponsorship for LIA's conferences and workshops, expand the reach of the Institute's laser safety training programs, and align the communications strategy across LIA's business units. She will also lead the development of a year round member and customer engagement model, and support LIA's relationships with other technical societies, industry organizations, and academic institutions.

"Leeya has spent her career helping mission driven organizations build the capacity to deliver on their missions," said Shaun Oleson, Executive Director of The Laser Institute. "She is creative and resourceful, and she asks the hard questions that turn an opportunity into a plan. Our members and partners will see the benefit of that quickly."

Bridges will be introduced to the LIA community at the 45th annual ICALEO, the Institute's International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics, taking place October 5 through 8 in Denver, Colorado.

Members, partners, and prospective sponsors may reach Bridges through LIA's Orlando office or by emailing lbridges@lia.org.