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Lyons Joins BIO As Food & Agriculture Specialist for Government Relations Team

WASHINGTON (November 17, 2000)-The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today named Matthew D. Lyons director of government relations for food and agriculture.

 Food and agriculture issues related to biotechnology are a top priority for our membership,  said BIO President Carl B. Feldbaum.  The addition of Matthew to our government relations department allows us to be stronger advocates in the legislative arena as our members continue to develop more nutritious and sustainable crops through biotechnology. 

Lyons joins BIO from the staff of U.S. Rep. Earl F. Hilliard (D-Ala.) where he served as the congressman's legislative director and principal policy advisor for the Committee on Agriculture and Committee on International Relations. During his tenure on Capitol Hill, Lyons developed an expertise on commodities, biotechnology, international trade and the environment. In the current session of congress he was influential in bringing members to the House Biotech Caucus, and helped spur interest in biotechnology among the 1890 Land-Grant Colleges.

 By joining BIO I can spread the word regarding the benefits of biotechnology and help dispel the misconceptions which sometimes surround the current debate,  noted Lyons.

Before joining Hilliard's staff, Lyons was a public policy associate at Clark & Weinstock, Inc., and a staff member for the U.S. House Committee on Commerce.

Originally from Kalamazoo, Mich., Lyons is a graduate of Western Michigan University and received his Juris Doctor in 1997 from George Washington University Law School.

BIO represents more than 900 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations in all 50 U.S. states and more than 27 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health care, agricultural industrial and environmental biotechnology products.

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