Laura Deal Lacey is the executive director of the Milken Institute’s Asia Center. In seven years, she has grown the Center to be the Milken Institute’s largest international branch with a robust team of Asia Fellows, senior experts, and advisors. The Center's annual Asia Summit, now the organization’s second-largest event, galvanizes discussions that shape the Asia Pacific agenda. Before joining the Institute, Laura was executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, where she represented the interests of U.S. companies in Southeast Asia. Prior to this, she was based in New York and worked for Richard Edelman on CEO positioning, leveraging international platforms, and promoting intellectual capital. Laura began her career at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, focusing on corporate partnerships and CEO engagement. Laura is a current trustee of the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh and serves on the corporate boards of SGX-listed Pacific Century Regional Development and FWD Insurance. She holds a B.S. from Arizona State University, M.S. from Columbia University, and board directorship certificates from INSEAD and Singapore Management University.