Portrait of Conrad Kiechel

Conrad Kiechel

Executive Director, Global Programming and Events
Conrad Kiechel is executive director of global programming and events at the Milken Institute. In that role, he oversees all the signature convenings of the Institute, including its annual Global Conference. He is also the publisher of the Milken Institute Review, a journal of economic policy.
Portrait of Laura Deal Lacey

Laura Deal Lacey

Executive Vice President, Milken Institute International
Laura Deal Lacey is the Executive Vice President of International at the Milken Institute, where she plays a pivotal role in advancing the Institute’s global initiatives. As the first employee of the Milken Institute in Asia, Deal Lacey was instrumental in establishing its center, programs, and activities in the Asia Pacific region. Over time, her responsibilities expanded to strategically grow the Institute’s presence across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. A dual citizen of the United States and Brazil, Deal Lacey has lived and worked on four continents. She serves on the board of FWD Insurance (Group) and is a member of the advisory board for The Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics at Singapore Management University.
Portrait of Mike Piwowar

Michael Piwowar, PhD

Executive Vice President, Milken Institute Finance
Michael S. Piwowar, PhD, is the executive vice president of Milken Institute Finance. Piwowar served as a commissioner at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from August 15, 2013, to July 6, 2018.
Portrait of Melissa Stevens

Melissa Stevens

Executive Vice President, Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy
Melissa Stevens is the executive vice president of Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy, leading its work with individual and family philanthropists and foundations seeking to make a transformative, sustainable impact. Since co-founding Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy in 2015, she has overseen the creation and execution of philanthropic strategies that have influenced more than $3 billion in capital and built an unmatched network for donors to collaborate and amplify their impact.
Portrait of Diane Ty

Diane Ty

Managing Director, Future of Aging, Milken Institute Health
Diane Ty is the managing director of the Milken Institute Future of Aging, leading efforts to advance healthy longevity and financial security through a life course perspective on aging.
Professional headshot of Priyanka Shah, a woman with long black hair styled in loose curls, wearing a black blazer over a white top. She is smiling warmly and posed against a dark gray background.

Priyanka Shah

Associate Director, Future of Aging
Priyanka Shah is the associate director of the Milken Institute Future of Aging, which advances healthy longevity and financial security for all through a life-course perspective on aging and longevity.
Portrait of Esther Krofah

Esther Krofah

Executive Vice President, Milken Institute Health
Esther Krofah is the executive vice president of Milken Institute Health, leading FasterCures, Public Health, the Future of Aging, and Feeding Change. She has extensive experience managing efforts to unite diverse stakeholders to solve critical issues and achieve shared goals that improve patients’ lives.

Small Business Policy, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation

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Small businesses and startups employ approximately half of all private sector workers and are responsible or nearly half of the US’s economic output. Yet, over the last 25 years new business formation has been in a structural decline creating risks to our economic growth, job creation, and innovation.

Community bank consolidation, technology, globalization, and policy changes have disproportionately impacted small businesses and start-ups by fundamentally changing the competitive landscape and entrepreneurial ecosystem.  

The Small Business Policy and Innovation initiative aims to address these challenges through policy recommendations and program solutions to foster a more robust entrepreneurial environment and inclusive prosperity across regions and demographics. 

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