Sustainability superstar: Kate Lyons

School/College: College of Science and Technology
Degree/Year: BS, geology, 2020
Hometown: Wallingford, Pennsylvania
Current Job Title: Resilience and environmental planner
Current Employer: Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission

California is already facing devastating impacts from climate change, and it’s the job of Kate Lyons, CST ’20, to help one of the state’s largest population centers adapt. As an environmental planner with the Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Kate plans on a regional level to help the nine-county Bay Area, including San Francisco and Oakland, preparing for impending environmental threats.

Rising tides. In a landmark 2025 report often cited by political leaders and the news media, Kate and her colleagues determined that it will take $100 billion in investments to adequately protect the Bay Area from sea level rise by 2050. Identified solutions include raising roadways or land, building hard infrastructure along the shoreline like seawalls, or using marsh restoration. 

Temple-trained. Kate exercises many skill sets on the job, including conducting environmental analysis, performing geospatial analysis using geographic information systems (GIS) applications and even deploying political savvy as she interfaces with community agencies. She points to her preparation at Temple as essential: She majored in geology while minoring in environmental studies and obtaining a certificate in GIS. Particularly influential was time spent in the lab of mentor and College of Science and Technology Professor Emeritus Laura Toran, who coached her in how to research water quality and communicate findings in an accessible way.

As sustainability director for Temple Student Government, Kate learned how to bring people together for a good cause. Also serving as a student member of the university’s Sustainability Task Force, Kate piloted a student-led compost collection program, advocated for better student access to public transit and led initiatives to address off-campus litter.

Kate got her first job as an energy analyst for Philadelphia-area consulting company Spotts, Stevens and McCoy after meeting consultants through her work for Temple’s Office of Sustainability. But her eyes drifted west, and she received a CivicSpark Fellowship and spent a year working on climate resiliency for the Bay Area Commission where she now works full time.