Emory Appoints Swanson to Board of Trustees

Bishop James Swanson Sr., resident bishop of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church, was elected to Emory University’s Board of Trustees during a recent board meeting. He will serve as a term trustee.

Bishop Swanson oversees the Holston Conference, which includes more than 900 churches in Tennessee, southwestern Virginia and northern Georgia. He is an ordained elder in the South Georgia Annual Conference, where he also has served as district superintendent. He was a minister at St. Mary's Road United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ga., from 1997-2001.

Bishop Swanson has taken an active role in communities where he has served. Appointments include: chair of the board of commissioners for the Columbus, Ga., Housing Authority; founding president of the board of directors for the Community Health Center of South Columbus; Candler Hospital Board of Directors in Savannah, Ga.; and a trustee of Andrew College in Cuthbert, Ga., and Paine College in Augusta, Ga.

“Bishop Swanson brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the Board of Trustees,” says Rosemary Magee, vice president and secretary of the university. “He cares deeply about the power of community and the promise of education. Emory will benefit greatly from his contributions.”

The 40-member Emory University Board of Trustees oversees the governance and long-range fiduciary health of the university. New term trustees serve a six-year initial term; a four-year renewable term may follow.

Term trustees are selected by the Governance, Trusteeship and Nominations Committee and submitted to the Board of Trustees for consideration and approval. Final approval rests with the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church.