Shawn Lyon’s career in energy has spanned more than three decades, beginning when he joined Marathon Petroleum Company as an engineer after graduating from Purdue in 1989.

Lyon credits Purdue for many of his early leadership learnings. As head manager for the men’s basketball teams under American Hall of Fame Coach Gene Keady from 1985 to 1989, Lyon learned first-hand how to align different people to a common goal. Coach Keady’s “play hard” philosophy affirmed the value of a strong work ethic in Lyon, which he witnessed firsthand when the Boilermakers became back-to-back Big Ten champions in 1987 and 1988.

Over the last decade, Lyon has been a visionary for transformative change. He has actively fostered a culture of safety within his organization and across the pipeline industry, driving change through influence, teamwork, strong communication and empowerment. He developed and grew an industry-leading, award-winning public engagement program which has served as a model for the pipeline industry. He cultivated and fostered partnerships with regulators, pipeline watchdog groups, and operators to achieve strategic alignment, receiving accolades for culture, innovation, and leadership. In 2019, he was presented with the Pipeline Leadership Award for driving transformation and improvement in the industry. He is an active public speaker on overcoming the challenges of transformative change, the benefits of Pipeline Safety Management Systems, influencing safety culture, and public engagement strategy.

Since 2019, by appointment of Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, Lyon has served on the Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee, an advisory body to the U.S. Department of Transportation. He also serves as chair of the board of the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port. Previously, he served as chair on the board of the Liquid Energy Pipeline Association; chair of the pipeline industry’s implementation of the Pipeline Safety Management System; and on the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board by appointment of Governor Rick Snyder.

One of Lyon’s most cherished Purdue memories is proposing to his best friend, Connie Bousman, at Mackey Arena half-court in 1989. They married the following year and are the proud parents of three children—Mackenzie, Gabby, and Noah, who will graduate from Purdue in 2025.