Laura Ely is the Director of Programs at The Barnes Global Advisors; she leads a team of industry recognized additive manufacturing experts in providing specialty technical and strategic solutions to solve customer problems. Laura specializes in driving technological change in organizations. This includes translating technical roadmaps into strategic business visions, building businesses cases, securing capital and operating funding, protecting and exploiting Intellectual Property, and collaborating across the industrial supply chain. Laura’s leadership skills are highlighted through her ability to build and enable diverse teams. As the Head of Technology for GKN Aerostructures, she was responsible for the build out of a new team focused on the maturation of laser/wire deposition for Titanium aerostructures after negotiating a CRADA between GKN Aerospace and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, valued at $18M over 5 years.

Laura has a passion for optimizing manufacturing processes. For 15 years, she has focused on improving metallic alloys and processes, specifically for laser/wire deposition, friction stir welding, spin forming, machining, and various wrought processes with application to Titanium aerostructures, Aluminum wing skins and inlet lip skins, and Copper electrical connectors, coinage, and ammunition. Her passion for advanced manufacturing and promoting diversity in the workplace is contagious, and Laura shares her energy via various public forums, ranging from executive conferences to university lectures to kindergarten classrooms.

Laura holds a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Missouri S&T.