• TPM23
  • February 26 – March 1, 2023 | Long Beach Convention Center
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Stephen R. Lyons

Retired Gen. White House Special Envoy for Ports and Supply Chains

General Lyons was appointed as White House Ports and Supply Chain Envoy in May 2022. He retired from the US Army in December 2021 after 38 years of service culminating as the 13th commander of US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM). TRANSCOM is one of 11 Presidentially appointed and Senate confirmed combatant commands within the DOD responsible to deploy and sustain military forces, provide humanitarian assistance, and integrate the multibillion-dollar Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise.

He began his career in Germany during the Cold War and subsequently held a wide range of assignments to include command of troops at every level, multiple combat deployments, and over eight years of experience in joint assignments. As a battalion commander in 2003, he led more than 1,200 Soldiers as part of the 3d Infantry Division ground assault to liberate Baghdad. He subsequently spent more than 40 months deployed to the US Central command area of responsibility in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan. In 2021 he led the mobility operations that enabled the historic evacuation of over 124,000 Afghans from Kabul international airport.

A native of Rensselaer New York, General Lyons graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Army in 1983. He holds two master's degrees, one from the Naval Postgraduate School in logistics management: and the second from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in national resource strategy. His awards include the defense distinguished service medal, the master parachutist badge, and numerous leadership awards. He has been recognized in the Congressional Record and inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Naval Postgraduate School and U.S. Army Materiel Command.

Sessions With Stephen R. Lyons

Tuesday, 28 February

  • 02:00pm - 02:45pm (PST) / 28/feb/2023 10:00 pm - 28/feb/2023 10:45 pm

    The State of Flow: An Analysis of North American Port Efficiency
    With a deep background in directing military logistics, Gen. Stephen Lyons spent much of 2022 marshaling container lines, marine terminals, truckers, and shippers through historic US port congestion. As the White House Port Envoy, Lyons sees congestion easing through the supply chain, and with it the federal government’s recently active direct role. In his role, Lyons enjoys a rare and expansive view of the US supply chain, what works and what doesn't, and what needs to be done to ensure the system functions when the next inevitable cargo surge materializes. Journal of Commerce executive editor Mark Szakonyi will discuss these and other topics in a wide-ranging conversation with Gen. Lyons. 
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