Biography

William Lyons is the Associate Director for Community Outreach of the Institute of American Civics and Director of Policy Partnerships at the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he also holds the title of Professor Emeritus of Political Science. 

He retired from the University of Tennessee in 2011 after more than 35 years of teaching, administrative leadership, and research, including service as Director of the Social Science Research Institute, Director of the Bureau of Public Administration, and Associate Director of the Office of Institutional Research. Following his retirement, he served in a number of senior leadership roles. This includes positions for the City of Knoxville, including Chief Policy Officer and Deputy to the Mayor (2011–2019) and Senior Advisor to the Mayor (2019–2020), before rejoining UT to support civic education and engagement at the Baker School. 

Lyons is a widely published scholar, with dozens of peer-reviewed articles in leading journals such as The Journal of Politics, American Politics Quarterly, Social Science Quarterly, Political Behavior, and Judicature. He is also co-author of several books, including American Government: Politics and Political Culture (4th edition, 2006), Government and Politics in Tennessee (2002), and Tennessee Government and Politics (2001). His research has explored topics such as judicial behavior, public opinion, electoral reform, and state policy evaluation—particularly in relation to TennCare and health care access in Tennessee. 

Over the course of his career, Lyons has served as a consultant and expert witness in matters related to voting rights, public policy, and social research, and has led major survey research initiatives on public attitudes, institutional effectiveness, and political engagement. He was a long-time political analyst for WBIR-TV in Knoxville. He has also been a trusted advisor to political candidates, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and national media. 

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Education

• B. A. Political Science, Rhodes College
• M.A. Political Science, University of Oklahoma
• Ph.D., Political Science, University of Oklahoma