Chief Lyons is a faithkeeper of the Wolf Clan and a member of the Onondaga Council of Chiefs within the Haudenosaunee, the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy. For more than four decades, he has advocated for Indigenous rights and sovereignty on international stages, including the United Nations and other global forums. He is a distinguished services professor emeritus at the State University of New York and the University at Buffalo. He co-founded the Traditional Circle of Indian Elders and Youth with the American Indian Institute in Bozemon, Montana, and remains on its board. In 1983, Oren co-founded the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse program and serves as chairman of its board of directors. He is also chairman of the board of directors of Honoring Nation, Harvard’s program for Native American economic development. In addition, he serves on the board of Bioneers and chairs the board of directors of Plantagon International AB, a leader in urban agriculture created to address population growth, limited resources, and global warming.