Craig Swenson

Dr. Craig Swenson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ashford University. With more than 40 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Swenson is a recognized national leader in higher education. In 2015, Dr. Swenson served as Interim President of University of the Rockies. Prior to that, he served as Chancellor Emeritus and was a Professor of Higher Education Administration at Argosy University. He also served as Chancellor of the Argosy System for seven years and held the position of Chief Academic Officer for Education Management Corporation for several years. Before his tenure at Argosy University, Dr. Swenson was Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Western Governors University. Prior to that, he served as Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs over the University of Phoenix system. At University of Phoenix, he was a Senior Regional Vice President and a Vice President/Campus Director. Dr. Swenson is on the Board of Directors of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and he serves on the Advisory Board for the CHEA International Quality Initiative. He is active as a peer reviewer and accreditation team chair for the Commission on Senior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Dr. Swenson has been a member of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), advising the U.S. Secretary of Education on matters related to accreditation and the eligibility and certification process for institutions of higher education. In addition, he has served on the Jacob K. Javits Program Fellowship Board at the U.S. Department of Education. He was a non-federal negotiator for the U.S. Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking process in 2007. Additionally, he was a member of the U.S. Army Educational Advisory Committee, advising the Secretary of the Army on education and training matters. Dr. Swenson earned a PhD in Education with an emphasis in Adult and Organizational Learning at Walden University, a master’s degree in Organizational Communication from Brigham Young University, and a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Utah.