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🌟 Welcoming New Board Members to The Piney Woods School 🌟
- awhite5033
- Aug 29
- 2 min read
The Piney Woods School is proud to announce the appointment of two distinguished leaders, John Lyon and James L. Cummins, Jr., to our Board of Trustees. Their wealth of experience, leadership, and commitment to service will help advance our mission of educating the head, the heart, and the hands.
John Lyon, President of My Medic Training + Response, is a global relief and development visionary as well as a licensed law practitioner. For more than a decade, he has organized and supported rapid emergency responses around the world, equipping first responders and delivering lifesaving aid. Prior to his current role, John served as President of World Hope International, where he oversaw healthcare, water, sanitation, and protection responses in crisis zones—from fighting Ebola in Sierra Leone to supporting first responders in Ukraine. His career also includes serving as General Counsel for renewable energy company Joule Africa and practicing law with international firm WilmerHale. A former Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica, John brings both legal and humanitarian expertise to his work. His extensive background in global leadership and emergency response will help Piney Woods strengthen our commitment to service, resilience, and preparing scholars to lead in an ever-changing world.
James L. Cummins, Jr., serves as Executive Director of Wildlife Mississippi, a position he has held since its founding in 1997. A certified fisheries and wildlife biologist, he has been instrumental in shaping federal conservation legislation, including the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program and the Healthy Forests Reserve Program. James also serves as President of the Boone and Crockett Club—the oldest conservation organization in North America—and holds board memberships with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the Black Landowner’s Agricultural and Conservation Land Trust, and others. A Greenville, Mississippi native, James co-edited several acclaimed books on wildlife management and conservation and manages his family’s historic farm alongside his wife, Martha. His lifelong dedication to conservation, land stewardship, and education will be invaluable as Piney Woods continues to blend academic rigor with environmental exploration across our 2,000-acre campus.
We are honored to welcome John Lyon and James Cummins to our Board of Trustees. Their vision, leadership, and expertise in their respective fields will help guide Piney Woods in preparing the next generation of scholars for lives of purpose, excellence, and impact.
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