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Illumia Names Laura Newell-McLaughlin as Chief Operating Officer


Illumia Names Laura Newell-McLaughlin as Chief Operating Officer
  • by: Business Wire
  • |
  • May 20, 2026

Illumia, a leading provider of technology solutions that power payments, access, foodservice and operational experiences across higher education, healthcare, senior living and corporate environments, today announced that Laura Newell-McLaughlin has been named Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Newell-McLaughlin will lead the next phase of Illumia's operational unification, with responsibility for Enterprise Applications, Banking Operations, Program Management, AI Transformation, Client Support, Supply Chain, and Chennai Operations.

Quick Intel

  • Illumia appoints Laura Newell-McLaughlin as COO; brings 30+ years of experience in payments and campus commerce.

  • She has been part of the company's evolution since 1993 through Academic Management Services, Sallie Mae, Higher One, Blackboard, and Transact Campus.

  • Most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer shaping payments strategy, strategic partnerships, and product direction.

  • Will embed generative AI across Illumia's operations to increase efficiency and remove friction from workflows.

  • Illumia (formerly Transact + CBORD) is a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP).

  • Illumia serves more than 10,000 higher education, healthcare, and senior living institutions.

Leadership Commentary

“Laura has a deep understanding of our business, our customers, and the operational discipline required to serve mission-critical organizations where reliability matters every day,” said Greg Brown, CEO of Illumia. “Her leadership will be critical as we continue to build the operating backbone that enables our teams to move faster, scale with discipline, and bring practical AI into the workflows that help our people and customers succeed.”

Newell-McLaughlin will also play a central role in embedding generative AI across Illumia's operations, helping the company increase efficiency, improve execution speed, and remove friction from internal workflows and customer-facing support processes.

Background and Experience

Newell-McLaughlin brings more than 30 years of experience in payments, campus commerce, product strategy, and operational leadership. She has been part of the company's evolution since 1993 through Academic Management Services, Sallie Mae, Higher One, Blackboard, and Transact Campus. Most recently, she served as Chief Commercial Officer, where she helped shape the company's payments strategy, strategic partnerships, and product direction for higher education institutions. Earlier in her career, Newell-McLaughlin held a leadership role at Sallie Mae. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, with a concentration in Business Management from Rhode Island College.

About Illumia

Illumia (formerly Transact + CBORD), a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), powers the payments, access, foodservice, and credentialing systems that more than 10,000 higher education, healthcare, and senior living institutions depend on every day. Its unified platform delivers the stability, security, and reliability these environments demand — where downtime is not an option. Illumia transforms the experiences organizations deliver to their communities while modernizing how those organizations operate.

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