We’re thrilled to welcome @travislyles to @ajcnews as our new director of social media. In this role, Lyles will direct the AJC’s social media strategy and how its essential and engaging journalism reaches audiences across platforms.
Lyles spent eight years at The Washington Post, where he rose from social media editor to become the newsroom’s youngest-ever senior editor and ultimately the deputy director of social media. In that role, he helped guide the strategy, daily operations and long-term vision for one of the largest and most influential social teams in American journalism.
Read more via the link in our bio.
I am so honored to be named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 class of 2023 🎉🙏🏼 this is seriously a dream come true and I have so many people to be thankful for that have helped me along the way. The sky is the limit ⬆️ #forbeslist
Full page is linked in my bio.
Some very exciting news (not an April Fools joke!): I’m coming back to journalism ❤️
I have been named director of social media at @ajcnews . Truly a dream come true.
I’m so excited to be in ATL and help inform the communities that make the city what it is.
Journalism has always been about service to me, reaching people where they are, earning their trust, and telling stories that matter. After stepping away for a bit, I realized how much I missed the purpose, the urgency and the impact.
At the same time, leaving Arlington and the DMV will be so bittersweet. It’s been home for nearly 9 years, and the fitness community I found here has been one of the most meaningful parts of my life. The miles, the early mornings, the friendships, the support. I’ll miss all of it, and all of you. This community changed me for the better.
I’m grateful for every experience that brought me here, and even more grateful for the chance to help the AJC continue its mission. I can’t wait to learn, build, collaborate and grow in a city that I already love so much.
Big chapter ahead. And I’m so ready for it. Let’s go 🚀
I made this TikTok back in March after I PR’d the @onecitymarathon (half) and had such an amazing time in my hometown. But in honor of Mother’s Day weekend, I wanted to share it here as well. Love you, mom ❤️
My dad passed away six months ago. It’s hard to even fathom it’s been that long. But today, he was honored at South Gwinnett high school by the JROTC program, who presented the Kevin B. Lyles award for leadership.
It was an emotional morning to say the least but the excellence of these students was incredibly inspiring and I know my dad is smiling down. So glad I was able to be there in person and present the award to Abdul.
A wise man once said “the marathon always wins.” And he was right.
Upon reflecting on the last four months of training, I am just so thankful for the process. I put myself and my body in position to do something special. My half marathon PR a few weeks back proves it.
Sunday, however, was not my day. And that’s okay. Sweltering heat (feels like 88?!🌡️) and 100% humidity took me out 🪦 ☠️ After mile 15, as I saw my potential PR slowly withering away, my goal shifted to just crossing the finish line (and not passing out 😅). Weirdly, I’m almost more proud of the grit I showed during that race than any of the great races I have had in the past.
If you have never run a marathon, it’s a bit hard to explain, but the process is just so beautiful. You become someone you never imagined you could be. You are surprised and even shocked at how capable your body is. And you are in awe at the fact that you even made it to the start line. So many different things can go wrong. For those reasons, I will for sure be back — full throttle.
A couple more fun (short 🙏) races in the spring and then we will start a fall training block later this summer. Until then, just enjoying being a 2x marathoner 🍀✅ thank you for everything @shamrockmarathon
Was going through old Facebook photos from over the years while looking for something specific and found so many golden memories from my family and friend history that I wanted to share them here ❤️
Slide 1: Me, @bendelgado7 and @themanjones before prom in 2011
Slide 2: My dad and our dog Scruff in 2019 (RIP to both)
Slide 3: Me and my grandpa when I was very young (maybe ‘94)
Slide 4: My mom and my grandpa
Slide 5: My dad and Mylo in 2011
Slide 6: My mom’s parents just after they got married in the 1950s
Slide 7: Our family Christmas photo in 2011
Slide 8: My dad repping the Noles @fsufootball 🍢
Slide 9: Me in Kindergarten (1998)
Slide 10: Me and my Mema (2005)
Slide 11: Me with one of my very first golf clubs 🏌🏽♂️(1997)
Slide 12: Family photo after lunch in Richmond in 2023
Slide 13: Me and my dad in 1996
Slide 14: My mom in the ‘80s
Slide 15: Me on my very first baseball team, the T-Ball @braves 🗣️
Slide 16: Me, my mom and brother circa 1998-1999
Slide 17: Mom and dad at our family reunion in 2025
Slide 18: Them at Busch Gardens Christmas Town in 2019
Slide 19: One of our last Christmas photos as a full family, in 2023
Today is my mom and dad’s 34th wedding anniversary. From Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Years to his birthday to this to many more “firsts,” they are all very hard. Grief is insane.
For this one, I don’t have the words, so I’ll let my mom, who is much wiser than me, speak to it (slide 4). I will say I am proud of the trail they blazed when it was really really hard. How they taught me from day one what it meant to be biracial and to be proud of it. And how they figured marriage out despite it not being close to easy. Happy anniversary ❤️
Thinking a lot about my dad and grandparents today and how proud they were to be Black. They were unapologetic about it. My grandpa was born in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s one of the reasons I love Atlanta so much.
He told me a story once about a time that he and my grandma stopped at a gas station in Tupelo, Mississippi, to get milk for my dad who was a toddler at the time. They refused to give them anything and they got chased by racist people who didn’t want them there. Despite that, and many other circumstances, they persevered and ended up moving to Minnesota, Florida, and then Virginia and raised a beautiful family.
My grandpa was a military man and retired as a Chief Master Sargent (CMS/E-9). And my dad and uncles ended up leading incredible lives. He is Black history. My dad is Black history. Our entire family is Black history.
I wouldn’t be here without them. I’m very very proud to be Black, and I pray I can continue to honor their legacy each and every day. Happy Black History Month yall. 🖤🖤🖤
While most people are posting highlights from 2025, I’m holding onto the photos with my dad from the year I still had him. I really wish there were more. But living away from home means missing ordinary moments you don’t know you’ll ache for down the road. A new year feels heavy, like moving forward while leaving part of my heart behind, but I’ll carry him with me, always. And I’ll cherish these photos forever. I pray everyone has a great and prosperous 2026 ❤️ Happy New Year
It is with immense sadness and disbelief that I announce that my dad, @kevin.lyles.50 , passed away yesterday morning after collapsing at work, at the age of 65.
Not really sure how I go on from here. Everything I’ve ever done or accomplished was because of something he taught me, pointed me towards or showed me an example of. He’s the reason I play golf, he encouraged me to dive head first into running and he was such a major advocate of me pursuing journalism, Longwood and applying to The Post.
I have been screaming into a pillow for the past 24 hours but I promise I will do everything in my power to make him proud and honor him always through it all. Cherish each day with your parents 💔 1/17/60-11/8/25
