The Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award presentation is one of the annual surprise events of the season. Presented by the Methodist Health System Foundation, the honoree is toasted. . . not roasted. . . with a true personal touch that brings laughs and good feelings throughout.
For instance, when Rev. Mark Craig was honored last year, one of his congregation — former President George W. Bush — made a pop-up appearance.
When Pat and Emmitt Smith received their award, a fellow from the back of the room in a baseball cap and jacket took over the podium. The hijacker was Mark Cuban.
This year’s honoree was just revealed seconds ago. Drum roll. The 2014 Robert S. Leadership Award will be presented to Dr. Bobby Lyle on Thursday, September 25, at the Hilton Anatole.
According to Methodist Health System Foundation President and CEO April Box Chamberlain, “Bobby’s leadership and entrepreneurial approach have had a far reaching and real impact on the Dallas community. He embodies the Folsom Leadership Award, and we are honored to celebrate his achievements.”
If you’ve just come out of a coma and don’t recognize Bobby, his bio follows the jump. Whether you’re a longtime friend of Bobby’s or are just curious about him, you should attend the dinner. You just never know who else will be in the crowd or at the podium.
Innovative engineer, educator, corporate executive, entrepreneur, civic leader and philanthropist all accurately describe Dr. Bobby Lyle, whose multifaceted career has spanned six decades. He has served on the boards of more than 20 private and public companies — many that he helped create — in industries as diverse as oil and gas, banking, ranching, computer software service, real estate, manufacturing, restaurant, and green energy.
A Southern Methodist University alumnus, he served as dean ad interim at age 30 and subsequently as executive dean of the SMU Cox School of Business, before completing his doctor of education degree at UMass-Amherst. After graduation, he returned to Dallas to enter the oil and gas industry. What followed was a fascinating career during which he served in leadership roles in the development of notable oil and gas fields, such as the Bakken Shale; real estate projects, such as the Dallas Galleria; and business startups, such as the InterFirst Bank-Galleria.
Throughout his career, Lyle’s passion for his alma mater has remained constant. As a member of the SMU board of trustees for more than 26 years, he has served as chair or vice chair of numerous university standing committees and boards, including the Audit Committee, the Cox Associate Board, the Maguire Energy Institute and the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility. He is past president of the SMU Alumni Association and has been vice chair of the executive boards of both the Cox School of Business and the Lyle School of Engineering. He has received the SMU Distinguished Alumni Award, been recognized as Alumni Volunteer of the Year, and twice named Outstanding Trustee of the Year by the SMU Student Association. He was inducted into the School of Engineering Hall of Leaders in 2006, and given the coveted Mustang Award in 2012. In 2008, SMU named the Lyle School of Engineering in his honor.
Lyle’s commitment to education is matched by his unwavering dedication to community service. He is vice chair of the Salvation Army National Advisory Board and a member of its DFW Metroplex Command Advisory Board. He is past president of Circle Ten Council-Boy Scouts of America and currently a trustee of the Council’s Foundation and chair of its $90 million Centennial Campaign. He is vice chair of The Trinity Trust Foundation; trustee of Communities Foundation of Texas; trustee of the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation; and past director of the Volunteer Center of North Texas. Lyle has served as president of the Dallas Assembly, president of the Center for Nonprofit Management, and trustee for the Retina Foundation. He has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, Volunteer Center of North Texas, and Dallas Historical Society and been inducted into the Dallas Business Hall of Fame.
Lyle received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Louisiana Tech University, Master of Science in engineering administration from Southern Methodist University, and Doctor of Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
He is the proud father of two children. Sharon lives in Dallas with her husband, Mark Mutschink, and Christopher resides in California with his wife, Lyndsay, and their two daughters, Emerson and Hannah.