Larry Lyon, senior vice president for business administration at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, has been selected to serve as the next president of Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, Georgia.
Lyon’s appointment follows leadership upheaval at the university after Emir Caner, the school’s eighth president, was removed last fall in a divided vote by the board of trustees over his handling of a former vice president.
Robby Foster, chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees, announced in a statement posted Monday on the school’s website that Lyon was unanimously chosen as Truett McConnell’s ninth president. Foster said Lyon is expected to officially assume the role on April 1.
Lyon previously served at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary as director of enrollment before joining New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
In addition to his administrative leadership, Lyon served as a professor of ethics at NOBTS, teaching courses in Christian ethics, theology of sexuality and gender, and contemporary ethical issues at both the graduate and doctoral levels, according to Foster.
Responding to his selection, Lyon expressed optimism about the university’s future. “TMU has an incredibly bright future,” he said in a statement. “Building on the legacy of faith and the Word of God, TMU is poised to continue to make an impact for God’s kingdom in Georgia and to the ends of the earth. I am excited to join the TMU family and begin building relationships with the people that have made TMU an amazing place to study and serve.”
While at NOBTS, Lyon served on the cabinet of President Jamie Dew and functioned as the seminary’s chief financial and operating officer. During his tenure, student-generated revenue increased by more than $2.5 million, endowment investments grew by over $17 million, and the institution completed more than $30 million in campus renovations.
Lyon’s hiring comes amid lingering fallout from the removal of Caner, which occurred after an independent investigation alleged that he had been aware of sexual abuse accusations involving former Truett McConnell Academic Services Vice President Bradley Reynolds.
Reynolds, who was accused by former student-athlete Hayle Swinson of grooming and rape, was indicted in December on charges of lying to Georgia police during a 2024 investigation into the allegations.
