Laurie Thomas Lee is a Professor of Broadcasting. She holds a Ph.D. in Mass Media from Michigan State University, an M.A. in Communications from the University of Iowa and a B.S. in Telecommunications from Kearney State College.

Lee has been teaching a variety of undergraduate and graduate media courses at the college level since the early 1980s and at University of Nebraska–Lincoln since 1992. She has most recently taught such courses as videography/cinematography, TV (studio) production, digital motion graphics, media law, media ethics, and communication design.

Lee's research work is focused on media law and media economics, particularly in the areas of privacy and new technology. Her work has been published in academic journals such as the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, the Journal of Media Economics, Global Media Journal, Telematics and Informatics, and The Information Society. She also publishes in law review journals such as The John Marshall Law Review, Rutgers Computer & Technology Law Journal, California Western Law Review, and Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal. Lee has published numerous book chapters and is currently an author of the textbook Communication Law: Practical Applications in the Digital Age, 3rd edition. In addition, Lee regularly presents research papers and speaks on panels at national and international conferences.

Lee serves on the boards of the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska (as past president) and the Telecommunications/Cable Advisory Board, and previously ACLU Nebraska (as president) and Bright Lights (as president). On the national level, she has served on the boards of such organizations as the National Cable Telecommunications Association (NCTA) Academic Seminar and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) (as former head of the Communications Technology and Policy Division). She has also served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Media Economics and Southwestern Mass Communication Journal.