“The Chesterton Academy of St. James is an answered prayer! None of us on the Board had ever started or operated a high school, but we knew there was a need for faithful Catholic classical education in the Bay Area. It’s been an incredible exercise in trust, humility, God’s generosity and grace.“

Lyra holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the Ateneo de Manila University, an MA in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University, an MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy/Tufts University, a JD from UC-Berkeley, and a Health Care Ethics Certification from the National Catholic Bioethics Center.

She has served on the Board of Regents for Georgetown University, Board of Visitors for the Philosophy Department of the Catholic University of America, and on the boards of Philippine International Aid and Canyon Heights Academy. She currently serves as a Board member for the Zephyr Institute and St. Patrick’s Seminary. She is a member of the Order of Malta and a catechist for the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park.

She brings this broad academic interest, passion for true Catholic education and a roll-up-your-sleeves work ethic as the inaugural Executive Director for the Chesterton Academy of St. James.