July 2025 Luncheon featuring General Lester L. Lyles

General Lester L. Lyles earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Howard University (1968), an M.S. in Mechanical/Nuclear Engineering from New Mexico State University (1969), and honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from New Mexico State (2002) and Urbana University (2009). He is also a graduate of several senior military and executive education programs, including the National War College and Harvard’s National and International Security Management Course.

Commissioned in 1968 through the Air Force ROTC program, General Lyles held numerous technical and leadership roles, including Aide-De-Camp to the Commander of Air Force Systems Command and Avionics Division Chief for the F-16 program. He led space launch recovery efforts post-Challenger as Program Director of the Medium-Launch Vehicles and Space-Launch Systems offices.

He later served as Vice Commander and Commander of Ogden Air Logistics Center, then as Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center. In 1996, he became Director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. He was appointed Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force in 1999, and in 2000, became Commander of Air Force Materiel Command, overseeing R&D, testing, acquisition, and logistics. He retired in 2003.

General Lyles’ honors include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the NAACP’s Roy Wilkins Renown Service Award (1994), Black Engineer of the Year / Lifetime Achievement (2003), and the General Thomas D. White Award (2012). He was named Astronautics Engineer of the Year (1990) and elected an AIAA Fellow (2022). He has served on multiple corporate and organization boards.

His advisory roles include serving on the Augustine Committee (2009), chairing the National Research Council’s civil space study (2009), the NASA Advisory Council (2016–2021, reappointed 2021), and the NAE Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (2012–2016). He served on the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (2009–2013), Defense Science Board (2009–2016), and the State Department’s International Security Advisory Board (2013–2017). He was a member of the National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group (2018–2020) and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2011.