Christopher (Chris) Lyons was born in Evanston, Illinois and attended Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky to study Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and Chemistry. While at Murray State, he met and married Crystal. Both Chris and Crystal graduated from Murray State in 1981.

In 1983, Chris joined the US Air Force and trained to be a pilot. While he was serving, he worked and traveled to many parts of the world in the C-130 “Hercules” military transport aircraft and even flew Berlin corridor missions over East Germany in support of US national objectives. After over 26 years serving in the military, he retired out of Scott Air Force Base, Illinois and moved to Walnut Hill, Illinois.

In April of 2011, Chris joined the Centralia Rotary Club in Centralia, Illinois and has served as a director, as their President, as President of the Centralia Rotary Club Foundation, and on multiple committees, including Visioning, Membership, and as editor for the club newsletter, The Rotary Rambler. He has served on several District and Zone committees, including Membership, Innovative Clubs, Visioning, and Veterans Affairs. He also served as an Assistant Governor for the District as well as the Assistant Governor Coordinator.

Both Chris and Crystal are active in Rotary and work well together as a team. They are both multiple Paul Harris Fellows and Chris joined the Paul Harris Society. They both believe strongly in the power of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Both Chris and Crystal are looking forward to his year as District Governor for District 6510 and will serve Southern Illinois and Rotary International to the best of their abilities.