Professor Lyons is the Associate Director for Community Outreach of the Institute of American Civics. He retired from the University of Tennessee in December 2011. He most recently worked as Deputy to the Mayor for the City of Knoxville before returning to the University as the Interim Associate Director of the Institute of American Civics.

During his long career at UT Lyons served as Director of UT’s Social Science Research Institute and Director of the Bureau of Public Administration, and Associate Director of the Office of Institutional Research. He authored or co-authored numerous articles in professional journals, including the Journal of Politics, American Politics Quarterly, American Journal of Political Science, Social Science Quarterly, Judicature, State and Local Government Review, and Political Behavior.

Professor Lyons also co-authored American Government: Politics and Political Culture, 4th edition (2006), with John Scheb; and Government and Politics in Tennessee (2002), with John Scheb and Billy Stair. Lyons also served as a consultant to numerous government agencies, political candidates, businesses, nonprofit organizations and interest groups. He also served for over twenty years as Political Analyst for WBIR-TV in Knoxville.