Long Island Association celebrates its centennial, focusing on growing diversity and inclusion

Business Long Island Association celebrates its centennial, focusing on growing diversity and inclusion By Vivian Rose … Comments Posted on November 9, 2026 Billy Haugland, Adam Silvers, Linda Armyn amd Stacey Sikes toast to the next century of the Long Island Association. Ryan Sweezey The Long Island Association celebrated one century of advocacy and growth of local businesses by honoring community leaders who took the time to recognize the organization’s commitment to furthering inclusivity and diversity on its board. Kevin Law, former president and CEO of the LIA, was one of three recipients of the Centennial Honor for Distinguished Leadership, and said that when he entered the LIA, he noticed that many of its members looked like him. With a board of just shy of 100 members, Stacey Sikes, president and CEO of the LIA, said Law began seeking to diversify the board nearly 10 years ago by expanding the number of women and business leaders of color. The Reading Institute with Founder Dr. Katie Pace Miles Schneps Connects https://podcasts.schnepsmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Dr.Miles_SchnepsConnects.mp3 Subscribe: RSS iTunes Spotify Stitcher Amazon Google Play Timothy Sams, president of SUNY Old Westbury, said he joined the board about five years ago and said the board serves as a space for newcomers to Long Island to learn about its movers and shakers. “When you begin to explore mutual opportunities, it actually is natural because you see one another all the time,” Sams said. “You’re like-minded because you’re trying to work to advance businesses and, in our case, education centers across the island.” Sikes said that since she joined the board about five years ago, the LIA has introduced grant programs to support a variety of types of businesses, including the Business Grant Program and the LIA AI Growth Academy. She said such initiatives are critical for the growth and modernity of local businesses to meet challenges including housing affordability, modernizing the island’s aging infrastructure and energy grid and developing a workforce that can participate in a digital economy. “We have to come together to demonstrate unity across all industry sectors,” Sikes said. “Our advocacy goals for our regional economy are critically important as we enter our next century because there are many challenges on Long Island we have to tackle to make sure it’s a place that future generations can call home.” Through the LIA AI Growth Academy, funded by Google.org , small businesses can participate in training to learn how to incorporate AI tools into their business through Stony Brook University. The LIA’s other initiative, the Business Grant Program, partners with the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce to reach entrepreneurs across Long Island. To advocate for affordability and a reliable energy grid, Sikes said members of the LIA, including herself, have traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak with state representatives, including Gov. Kathy Hochul and Long Island’s congressional delegation. “We’re going to continue to do that, meeting directly with elected officials and communicating with them,” Sikes said. “That’s what the organization did when it was founded; it partnered with elected officials and advocated for policies that resulted in the growth of Long Island and its population explosion and businesses locating here. So we’re going to continue to do that and build upon the foundation that our founders established in 1926.” For more business coverage, click here. About the Author All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines . Schneps Media does not endorse the views shared by readers in our comment sections.