Gabrielle Lyon’s passion and expertise are launching and scaling award-winning social impact organizations and initiatives committed to system-level and cross-sector change. She is a nationally-recognized, well-rounded nonprofit leader, educator, author, and public speaker with more than 20 years of experience working for social justice by increasing access and equity, particularly in science, technology, and civic engagement. As well as serving as the founder and board member of award-winning nonprofit organizations, she has successfully repositioned established city and state cultural organizations as educational, economic, and civic leaders. Gabrielle Lyon received her BA and MA in history from the University of Chicago, and her PhD in Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her honors include being named a Notable Leader in DEI by Crain's Chicago Business, aNational After School Champion by the After School Alliance, Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine, and a Leadership Fellow with the Chicago Community Trust. Lyon’s current research and writing focuses on the ways in which community-driven design and participatory humanities experiences bridge civic identities and catalyze social change. In her capacity as Vice President of Teaching and Learning at the Chicago Architecture Center, she shaped the redesign of the institution's temporary and permanent exhibition spaces and repositioned the organization's approach to city-wide youth development, direct service and K-12 public programs. She is an accomplished author, and served as artistic director and principal writer for the graphic novels No Small Plans and Washington, By and By. works that bridge urban planning and community design, empowering young people to create the environments they desire, require, and are entitled to. As the founding executive director of Project Exploration she led the organization to shape a national agenda for STEM education for students of color and girls. Gabrielle Lyon is an active member of local and state cultural commissions and is enthusiastic about engaging with professionals with similar interests and expanding her perspective and knowledge.
Listed skills include Community Outreach, Fundraising, Teaching, Leadership, and 55 others.
