He was honored as one of the Top 5% Leaders at Johns Hopkins University and received the Young Research Award.
MONKTON, MD, October 29, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Christopher Swanson, EdD, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Dr. Swanson is an esteemed professional in nonprofit management with a particular focus on autism and special education in early childhood. Having dedicated 25 years to his field, he has been the founder and executive director of C-IMPACT since 2023, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve human services delivery via shared services and collective impact strategies. In addition to his daily responsibilities, Dr. Swanson is involved in fundraising events to ensure the organization's impact is viable and sustainable. C-IMPACT functions as a collaborative model where other nonprofits can join for free and then work together to build coordination and capacity across community-based organizations. Additionally, he spends considerable time meeting, promoting and translating research into practice, producing his own research and generating thought leadership.
Before launching C-IMPACT, Dr. Swanson was the founding executive director of the IDEALS Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Education from 2018 to 2023. During his tenure, he launched several new early childhood initiatives and initiated a statewide program in Maryland to rate and improve the quality of childcare for approximately 400,000 children and families. His work at IDEALS eventually impacted over 40 million people globally and included projects with the World Health Organization and other international agencies.
Among other noteworthy roles, Dr. Swanson was the senior director for quality care and education initiatives at Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education between 2008 and 2018. Concurrently, he was the center's director of technology for learning and early childhood initiatives.
Dr. Swanson's education career began as a classroom special educator with the St. Elizabeth School, the Baltimore County Public Schools from 1999 to 2004. He was promoted to resource specialist with Baltimore County Public Schools from 2004 to 2007. He then became the principal at Connections Academy in 2008. His education journey was influenced by his initial studies in journalism and teaching. After realizing his passion for teaching and recognizing the need for specialized education for students with developmental disabilities, Dr. Swanson switched from an intended law degree and pursued advanced educational degrees.
Dr. Swanson received a Bachelor of Arts in English, teaching and journalism from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in 1999, followed by a Master of Science in special education and a Doctor of Education in educational leadership and administration from Johns Hopkins University School of Education in 2005 and 2014, respectively. Moreover, Dr. Swanson holds a teacher certification through UMBC and a K-12 teacher certification through the Maryland Department of Education.
Dr. Swanson is actively involved with industry-related organizations, such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Council for Exceptional Children. His civic engagements include serving on the advisory board for Arrow School, volunteering at the Center for Early Childhood Development and Education at Kennedy Krieger Institute and participating in the National Research Council's early childhood workforce competency initiative.
Throughout his career, Dr. Swanson has been recognized with several accolades, including commendations from the Maryland State Department of Education, BUILD and Inquire. He was also honored as one of the Top 5% Leaders at Johns Hopkins University and received the Young Research Award.
Moving forward, Dr. Swanson aims to grow C-IMPACT into a sustained, healthy organization that makes a difference nationally and internationally by disrupting entrenched models of fragmented service delivery. He credits his success thus far to never encountering a system he could not change. He also has an eye for identifying inefficiencies and believes strongly in community power and servant leadership.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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