Bill Lyons is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Resilience and Security at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. He is also the Founder and Chief Executive of the Fort Hill Companies LLC, a professional planning, design, and construction management firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Over the last 20 years, Bill’s practice has included service to a wide variety of clients, including federal, state, and local governments; institutional investors and portfolio managers; and traditional real estate developers, owners, and operators. Bill’s practice has a global scope, having served clients on five continents and in 19 countries. He is currently supporting the activities of the United States Agency for International Development in South Sudan, where he currently resides. In Boston, Bill directs planning and design activities for a significant portfolio of real estate development projects in the city’s Seaport District.
Bill is a licensed attorney, professional engineer, urban planner, and real estate broker. He uses his diverse background to challenge traditional planning and design approaches and provide thought leadership for sustainable strategies in the urban context. He also lectures on construction, legal, and engineering topics. He holds academic appointments at Wentworth Institute of Technology, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and Norwich University. His research interests include urban climate resiliency, sustainable mobility, and the nexus between climate resilience, sustainability, and human security. Bill retired from the United States Army in the rank of Colonel as the Deputy Director of Logistics for the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Bill holds a Juris Doctor, a Master of Studies in Sustainability Leadership, a Master of Transportation and Urban Systems, a Master of Strategic Studies, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He is currently a candidate for a PhD in Transportation Engineering. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Institute of Transportation Engineers and a member of the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation in the UK.