Title: Executive Director
Company: C-IMPACT
Location: Monkton, Maryland, United States
R. Christopher Swanson, EdD, Executive Director at C-IMPACT, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in nonprofit organization.
Prior to working with nonprofits, Dr. Swanson studied journalism, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English and journalism from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in 1995. During his undergraduate studies, he discovered a passion for education and began working as a teacher following graduation. In his first teaching job, he felt ineffective, realizing that many of the students had developmental disabilities he was not equipped to handle. Leaving the position, he spent time in other fields, abandoning the idea of teaching until a camping trip with an old family friend. On that trip, he bonded with his young autistic cousin. Upon witnessing this talent for connecting with young people, his family friend suggested he reconsider teaching, referring him to Johns Hopkins University, where he could progress his credentials. Entering the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, he pursued a Master of Science in special education and graduated in 2005. He worked as a resource specialist for Baltimore County Public Schools and a principal of Connections Academy before returning to Johns Hopkins University, joining the university’s Center for Technology in Education in 2008.
As the director of technology for learning and early childhood initiatives at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education, he progressed research into early childhood learning while studying for a Doctor of Education in educational administration and leadership, completing the degree in 2014. In 2018, he accepted a five-million-dollar grant and started the Institute for Innovation in Development, Engagement, and Learning Systems (IDEALS), where he works to ensure that people of all ages have access to high-quality care and education. In four years’, time, he grew the five-million-dollar work into 28 million dollars per year, expanding from a team of 30 to a team of 91 and impacting over 40 million people nationally.
Following a 15-year career with Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Swanson launched C-IMPACT, a coalition of nonprofits, in 2023. As the executive director, he is involved in fundraising events and ensures that the organization’s impact is viable and sustainable. He frequently communicates with policymakers to increase positive outcomes for people, populations and communities and works to promote and translate research into practice. He attributes his success to a mindset of servant leadership, and in the future, he hopes to grow C-IMPACT into a sustained, healthy and vibrant organization that can make a difference nationally and internationally.
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