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Francis X. Lyons
Biography
[EPA Region 5 - April 2000]
Francis X. Lyons was appointed Regional Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 in May, 1999. As Regional Administrator he leads the implementation of Federal environmental programs in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. He leads the Region's efforts to work with communities and other partners to solve environmental problems and achieve a more sustainable environment.
As administrator of EPA's Great Lakes Region and manager of EPA's Great Lakes National Program, Mr. Lyons is also U.S. chairman of the Binational Executive Committee for the Great Lakes. The BEC is the main forum for United States-Canadian discussion of Great Lakes issues at the basinwide level.
Prior to joining EPA, Lyons served for more than ten years as a trial lawyer in Federal and State government. He spent over four years with the U.S. Department of Justice Environmental Enforcement Section, where he served as lead counsel on many complex cases. Prior to joining the Department of Justice, he served as an Illinois Assistant Attorney General, representing state agencies in State and Federal District Court litigation and handling environmental enforcement cases in Illinois Circuit Courts and before the Illinois Pollution Control Board.
He has received the Department of Justice's Special Achievement Award for sustained superior performance of duty and its Special Commendation Award for outstanding service. While at Justice, he received an EPA award as a member of the Superfund Enforcement Team of the Year.
Lyons served 13 years as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Field Artillery where he received many honors, including twice having been awarded both the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal. In 1996 he was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain.
Lyons is a native of Chicago. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in 1984 and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola University Chicago in 1988. He is a licensed attorney in the State of Illinois and is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Chicago Bar Association.