Continuing Education Should Be the University’s Operating System, not a Silo
Professional and continuing education has often lived at the edge of the university. It is where...
Author Profile
Joe Lyons | Faculty Senate President and Director of Security and Strategic Intelligence, Saint Louis University
Current Position and Past Experience
Joe Lyons is the Faculty Senate President and Director of Security and Strategic Intelligence at Saint Louis University. He currently serves as Faculty Trustee and President of the Faculty Senate, participating directly in institutional governance alongside senior leadership and trustees. His work focuses on aligning academic mission, research, workforce development, and global engagement to position universities as strategic actors in complex environments.
He is also the Founding Director of the Midwest-Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) and an Associate Professor at Saint Louis University. Across his career, he has built and led multi-institutional initiatives spanning academia, government, and industry, including federally funded consortia, interdisciplinary academic programs, and international collaborations focused on national innovation systems, technology development, public policy, student success, and workforce pathways.
His prior experience includes serving as Director of the Navy Intelligence Officer Basic Course in the U.S. Navy Reserve; Intelligence Officer with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), U.S. Department of Defense; Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, and Training Officer with U.S. Transportation Command; Intelligence Analyst with the U.S. Navy; ROTC Instructor, Recruiter, and Supply Chain Manager with the U.S. Army. His experience in national security and international partnerships informs his perspective on universities as institutions operating within broader geopolitical, technological, and societal contexts.
Education, Honors, and Achievements
Joe Lyons holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Government and a Master of Public Administration in Public Administration from Murray State University. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy Analysis from Saint Louis University. He is also the author of The Quest for Shared Governance in Higher Education (2026), which examines governance, institutional leadership, and faculty participation in higher education.
His achievements include founding and directing the Midwest-Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence, leading multi-institutional and federally funded initiatives, developing interdisciplinary academic programs and international collaborations, and serving in faculty governance as Faculty Trustee and President of the Faculty Senate at Saint Louis University.
Personal Details and Community Involvement
Outside of work, Joe enjoys traveling, exploring new places and cultures, and spending time with his family. His professional and personal interests frequently overlap, particularly around higher education, international affairs, technology, and the ways universities engage with their communities and the wider world. Joe also collects obsolete and commercially unsuccessful electronic technologies, reflecting a longstanding interest in how innovation succeeds—and sometimes fails.
Joe Lyons is the Faculty Senate President and Director of Security and Strategic Intelligence at Saint Louis University. He currently serves as Faculty Trustee and President of the Faculty Senate, participating directly in institutional governance alongside senior leadership and trustees. His work focuses on aligning academic mission, research, workforce development, and global engagement to position universities as strategic actors in complex environments.
He is also the Founding Director of the Midwest-Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) and an Associate Professor at Saint Louis University. Across his career, he has built and led multi-institutional initiatives spanning academia, government, and industry, including federally funded consortia, interdisciplinary academic programs, and international collaborations focused on national innovation systems, technology development, public policy, student success, and workforce pathways.
His prior experience includes serving as Director of the Navy Intelligence Officer Basic Course in the U.S. Navy Reserve; Intelligence Officer with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), U.S. Department of Defense; Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, and Training Officer with U.S. Transportation Command; Intelligence Analyst with the U.S. Navy; ROTC Instructor, Recruiter, and Supply Chain Manager with the U.S. Army. His experience in national security and international partnerships informs his perspective on universities as institutions operating within broader geopolitical, technological, and societal contexts.
Education, Honors, and Achievements
Joe Lyons holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Government and a Master of Public Administration in Public Administration from Murray State University. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy Analysis from Saint Louis University. He is also the author of The Quest for Shared Governance in Higher Education (2026), which examines governance, institutional leadership, and faculty participation in higher education.
His achievements include founding and directing the Midwest-Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence, leading multi-institutional and federally funded initiatives, developing interdisciplinary academic programs and international collaborations, and serving in faculty governance as Faculty Trustee and President of the Faculty Senate at Saint Louis University.
Personal Details and Community Involvement
Outside of work, Joe enjoys traveling, exploring new places and cultures, and spending time with his family. His professional and personal interests frequently overlap, particularly around higher education, international affairs, technology, and the ways universities engage with their communities and the wider world. Joe also collects obsolete and commercially unsuccessful electronic technologies, reflecting a longstanding interest in how innovation succeeds—and sometimes fails.
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