Dr. Lyon is an education activist, convener, and nonprofit leader. She synthesizes data-driven social-justice work with education, championing the belief that high-quality educational opportunity can and should be accessible to everyone, especially those to whom it has historically been closed. In 1999 Lyon cofounded Project Exploration, a high-impact nonprofit dedicated to changing the face of science for underserved minority youth and girls. As the Director for Strategic Initiatives at Thirty Million Words Lyon is helping grow the organization and build a national coalition of partnerships dedicated to closing the early language gap for young children growing up in poverty.