Jared S. Lyon

Jared S. Lyon is an executive leader, institution builder, and U.S. Navy veteran with a track record of growing mission-driven, member-based organizations, strengthening institutional credibility, and leading at the intersection of membership, public trust, and national leadership.

He is best known for his decade of service as President & CEO of Student Veterans of America, where he led the organization through a period of significant national growth and maturation. During his tenure, SVA grew from roughly 400 chapters and a $1.3 million budget into a national network of more than 1,600 chapters across all 50 states with an $8.5 million operating budget. He helped raise more than $68 million in total revenue, led a board-approved five-year capital deployment plan following an $8 million unrestricted gift, and helped return the organization to a balanced operating model while maintaining approximately $7 million in net assets and avoiding debt.

Under Jared's leadership, Student Veterans of America strengthened its position as a trusted national voice at the intersection of higher education, workforce outcomes, public policy, and veteran success. He built and stewarded multi-million dollar strategic partnerships with companies including RTX, Boeing, The Walt Disney Company, Google, and TikTok, helping translate mission outcomes into large-scale philanthropic and corporate support. He also helped build stronger outcomes and KPI discipline across the organization, linking long-range strategy to measurable quarterly execution.

Jared's leadership experience spans executive management, board partnership, fundraising, coalition building, public affairs, and external representation. He has regularly testified before the U.S. House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs and worked with leaders across the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Labor, and the White House Domestic Policy Council on issues affecting veterans, education, workforce opportunity, and access to support services.

What distinguishes Jared's experience is a deep understanding of institutions where community is central to the model. He knows how to grow and sustain member-driven organizations, support chapter and affiliate-style networks, convene stakeholders nationally, and align mission, governance, revenue, and public-facing leadership around a clear value proposition. He has led high-stakes advocacy and policy work while maintaining a credible, nonpartisan posture across sectors and administrations, and he is a sought-after keynote speaker and public representative for mission-driven work.

Before becoming President & CEO, Jared served as SVA's Chief Development Officer and Executive Vice President of Operations, where he negotiated the organization's then-largest corporate grant, implemented Salesforce as a development and reporting backbone, and helped professionalize major-gifts strategy and board reporting. Earlier in his career, he served as National Program Manager for the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans at Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families, leading an eight-university consortium and increasing annual program funding by 42 percent. He also held leadership roles with the Washington Nationals Baseball Club and Kezer Corporation.

Jared remains active in governance, civic leadership, and higher education. He serves on the George W. Bush Institute Advisory Council, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Education, the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation Advisory Council, and the Florida State University Student Affairs Development Council. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises at Syracuse University, where he mentors aspiring entrepreneurs and student veterans.

His leadership style is grounded in his military service. Jared enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 2001 and served as a submariner and SCUBA diver during the opening years of the Global War on Terrorism. That experience shaped a leadership approach rooted in discipline, accountability, teamwork, and mission-first execution.

Jared is also a doctoral candidate in Social Science at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, where his academic work reflects a continuing interest in leadership, institutions, and civic life. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University, a Bachelor of Science from Florida State University, and an Associate of Arts from Eastern Florida State College, formerly Brevard Community College.

His honors and affiliations include selection as a Presidential Leadership Scholar, service as Grand Marshal of the 2020 New York City Veterans Day Parade, and recognition from Florida State University as a "Grad Made Good," Western Association Veteran Specialist, HillVets, and Student Veterans of America.

Jared lives in Tampa, Florida, with his family.