Jared Lyon, National President & CEO of Student Veterans of America (SVA) has been named to the George W. Bush Institute Advisory Council to help advance the Bush Institute’s policy recommendations centered on ensuring opportunity for all, strengthening our democracy, and advancing free societies.
“The Advisory Council has been around in various forms since the Bush Institute’s inception to help the organization remain a leading voice on critical issues facing our nation and the world,” said David J. Kramer, Executive Director of the Bush Institute. “This consolidated council will offer guidance to help our domestic and global policy work have lasting impact and drive meaningful change in our society.”
Lyon was appointed National President & CEO of SVA in 2016. He leads the organization’s efforts to empower student veterans using the transformative power of higher education. Since he took office, Lyon has overseen SVA’s growth to a network of more than 1,600 chapters on campuses in all 50 states and three countries representing over 750,000 student veterans.
He is an active member of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans’ Advisory Committee on Education, the Board of Advisors for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, the Florida State University (FSU) Veteran Advisory Board, and the FSU Student Affairs Development Council.
A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Lyon served as a submariner and diver, taking part in multiple deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Social Science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Lyon and his wife Chayla reside in Alexandria, Virginia with their sons, Campbell and Nolan.
The Bush Institute supports democracy and freedom around the world, promotes global health, and improves the lives of women and girls. Domestically, the organization believes in a welcoming society that values and protects everyone’s right to an education and promotes a country that rewards innovation. Additionally, the Bush Institute works to reaffirm democratic principles, reassert the value of civility and civic engagement in the United States, and develop and support effective leaders to move our country forward.
The Advisory Council— made up of individuals across the business, academic, and philanthropic sectors— met on April 18 after the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Forum on Leadership. An annual landmark gathering, the Forum on Leadership develops, recognizes, and celebrates leadership by bringing together notable voices for in-depth discussions on today’s pressing issues. This year’s Forum on Leadership, titled “The Call of Freedom,” focused on freedom around the world – and why U.S. global leadership is more important now than ever.
“I am feeling an immense sense of honor with this appointment,” said Lyon. “SVA has long partnered with the team at the George W. Bush Institute and I personally have the utmost respect for President and Mrs. Bush. This opportunity is humbling, my service in this role is not just about offering advice; it’s about the opportunity to listen, learn, and collaborate for the greater good.”
Jared Lyon will serve a three-year term guided by the Bush Institute’s founding principles of compassion, opportunity, accountability, and freedom.
About the George W. Bush Institute
The George W. Bush Institute is a solution-oriented nonpartisan policy organization focused on ensuring opportunity for all, strengthening democracy, and advancing free societies. Housed within the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Bush Institute is rooted in compassionate conservative values and committed to creating positive, meaningful, and lasting change at home and abroad. We utilize our unique platform and convening power to advance solutions to national and global issues of the day. Learn more at bushcenter.org
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