Kayla Meisner, MEng, CLP, is a nationally recognized leader in academic technology commercialization and technology-based economic development. She serves as the Executive Director of Kentucky Commercialization Ventures (KCV), where she leads a first-of-its-kind statewide public-private partnership to unlock the potential of research emerging from Kentucky’s regional universities and community & technical colleges.

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Kayla is the Principal Investigator of KCV EDGE, an $8.26 million award from the National Science Foundation’s GRANTED program, aimed at transforming Kentucky’s research infrastructure and advancing innovation capacity. Under her leadership, KCV has become a catalytic force in the state’s innovation ecosystem — bridging academic discovery with commercialization, entrepreneurship, and investment to translate ideas into impact.

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She also serves as Executive Director of the Kentucky Intellectual Property Alliance (KYIPA), a statewide initiative advancing intellectual property education and awareness across academia, small businesses, and the innovation community. Through KYIPA, Kayla works to demystify intellectual property and promote access to innovation protection and resources.

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A Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) with a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering and a Master of Engineering from the University of Louisville, Kayla brings technical expertise and strategic insight to advancing technology transfer policies, practices, and models for economic growth.

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She currently serves as Senior Vice President of Membership for LES USA & Canada, where she champions community engagement and professional development for licensing and intellectual property professionals across North America. Kayla is also an active member of AUTM, where she contributes to national conversations on innovation as a longtime member of the Diversity & Inclusion Special Interest Group, a multi-time speaker at national and regional conferences, and a contributing writer for AUTM Insight — all part of her mission to amplify underrepresented voices in research and innovation.