St. Ambrose Academy welcomes Tom Lyons as a new member of the Board of Directors beginning summer 2024! Tom is a passionate supporter of St. Ambrose as a parent, volunteer, and member of the Finance Committee. He brings a well-rounded experience as a parent, dedicated volunteer, and business leader to the role.
Tom first came to Wisconsin from the western suburbs of Chicago to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During college, he became connected within the community at St. Paul’s Catholic Center where he “had the opportunity to make my faith a much more substantial part of my life”.
During a providential spring break service trip to West Virginia, Tom had the blessing of meeting Athena, and the two were married shortly after graduating from their respective universities. Together they have four children: Mary (St. Ambrose Class of 2023), Anthony (x’25), William (x’29) and Gianna (x’31) and they are also former foster parents.
Tom’s professional experience includes 20 years in sales and small business lending, including his current role as a Senior Vice President in the Small Business Lending division of a Chicago-based bank.
His passion for sports includes past and present stints such as playing rugby, officiating basketball, and keeping stats for a variety of teams as both a student and a parent. He has also had the pleasure of assisting St. Ambrose’s Athletic Director in launching the Guardians Athletic Booster Club. In the past several years, Tom has championed a best-in-class fan experience at Guardian home basketball games, successfully invited sponsors to financially support the burgeoning program, and tirelessly promoted strong school spirit through a variety of ways.
Outside of work, he enjoys researching his family’s ancestry, gardening (“if I can’t eat it, I’m not interested”), dabbling in other languages, serving St. John the Baptist in Waunakee in their religious education program, and is on the quest to make the “world’s perfect potato salad”, after recently discovering the “world’s best coleslaw recipe”.
Tom felt “honored and humbled” to be invited to join the St. Ambrose Academy Board of Directors and looks forward to building up this school. St. Ambrose, “is now in its third decade of proving our ability to be a light in the darkness, something that makes a better Church, better families, and better communities. That really lights my fire.” As a long-time parent himself, he hopes “to be an advocate for parents, bringing the parent perspective to the important topics and decisions made at the board level”.
We are grateful for the dedication Tom has shown and continues to offer to the St. Ambrose community. Welcome Tom, and go Guardians!
