LightPath Bolsters Sales Leadership Amid Defense and Commercial Expansion
Event summary
- LightPath Technologies appointed Doug Schoen as Senior VP of Global Sales and Ryan Workman as VP of Business Development & Product Management, effective April 6, 2026.
- Doug Schoen brings over 25 years of experience from Elbit Systems, Bell, Honeywell, and Collins Aerospace, managing portfolios up to $1 billion.
- Ryan Workman previously led U.S. operations at Motorola Solutions following the acquisition of Silent Sentinel, growing revenue from $500,000 to $27 million.
- Schoen is a retired U.S. Navy Captain and Workman is a veteran of the U.S. Army.
- LightPath is a provider of optics and imaging systems for defense and commercial applications, with facilities in the US, Latvia, China and Texas.
The big picture
LightPath’s strategic shift to bolster its sales and business development leadership signals an intent to aggressively pursue growth opportunities in both defense and commercial markets. The appointments, particularly Schoen’s, suggest a focus on deepening relationships with established defense contractors and expanding into new international markets. This move comes as the company seeks to convert a reported backlog into sustained revenue growth, a critical metric for investor confidence.
What we're watching
- Sales Execution
- The success of these appointments hinges on Schoen’s ability to rapidly integrate and leverage his extensive network within the defense prime contractor ecosystem to accelerate sales cycles.
- Commercial Traction
- LightPath’s ability to translate the new leadership’s experience into tangible commercial growth, beyond defense, will be a key indicator of strategic success.
- Integration Risk
- The effectiveness of Workman’s approach to business development will depend on how well he integrates Silent Sentinel’s legacy operations with LightPath’s existing infrastructure and product lines.
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