Galloway, N.J. — The 17th annual Paul Lyons Memorial Lecture, which honors the legacy of the former Stockton University professor, will take place at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9 in the Stockton Performing Arts Center.

This year’s speaker is Jane Golden, founder and executive director of Mural Arts Philadelphia, the nation’s largest public art program and a global model for transformative urban art. Under her leadership, more than 4,000 works of public art have been created through collaborations with community organizations, city agencies, schools, nonprofits and the private sector.

Nationally and internationally recognized as an expert in urban transformation through art, Golden has received numerous honors, including the Philadelphia Award, the 2025 Keystone Award from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the Hepburn Medal from the Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center at Bryn Mawr College, and the Pearl S. Buck International Woman of Influence Award. She currently serves as a Cabinet Member for Mayor Cherelle Parker’s “Clean and Green” Advisory Council and as Critic-in-Residence at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

A reception in the Art Gallery will follow the lecture from 4 to 6 p.m. This year’s lecture will also serve as the kickoff to Stockton’s annual Arts and Culture Summit on April 10.

The annual memorial lecture commemorates the life and work of Lyons (1942–2009), a teacher, historian, writer, musician and activist whose career embodied Stockton’s highest ideals of an engaged, interdisciplinary educator.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Lyons earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in history from Rutgers University and later completed his Ph.D. in Social Work at Bryn Mawr College. Inspired by civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, Lyons shifted from a path in law to a life devoted to teaching and social activism.

After joining Stockton University, Lyons became a cornerstone of the campus community. He was deeply involved in faculty union leadership, helped co-found the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Research Center, and brought music to campus life as a longtime member of the Stockton Faculty Band. Over more than four decades, the band performed at orientations, campus celebrations and community events, raising more than $60,000 for student scholarships.