Helios Appoints Jim Swanson to Board of Directors

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Author: Helios Education Foundation

Posted on: 04/21/2022

Helios Education Foundation announced today the expansion of its Board of Directors with the appointment of Jim Swanson, a top business executive and longtime education advocate in Arizona.

Mr. Swanson joins 10 additional Board members, each of whom possess a strong passion for education and the shared mission of improving lives and strengthening communities through education.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jim to the Helios Board of Directors. Jim brings a strategic business expertise with a deep understanding of the educational landscape in Arizona, including the complex school funding formula,” said Helios’s Founding Chairman Vince Roig. “Just as important, Jim brings a passion that is aligned with the Foundation’s work of increasing student success across the spectrum—from early literacy to college going and college completion.”

Mr. Swanson is President and CEO of Kitchell, based in Phoenix, Arizona, where he oversees more than 1,100 employee-owners along with company operations in Arizona, California, Iowa, and Texas. Before joining Kitchell, Mr. Swanson was Senior Vice President at Affiliated Computers Services, where he directed operations for its education sector clients.

Mr. Swanson is a tireless advocate for improving education in Arizona and beyond through his involvement in numerous organizations, including co-chair of the Classrooms First Initiative Council; board member and former board chairman of Teach for America Phoenix; co-chair of the Greater Phoenix Leadership Education Committee; and member of the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools and Rodel Foundation board of directors. Additionally, Mr. Swanson is a trustee of the Barrow Neurological Foundation, a board member of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and a member of the Valley of the Sun United Way Tocqueville Society.  

“I am honored to join the Board and ready to get to work alongside my talented colleagues to improve education outcomes among students in Arizona and Florida. I strongly believe that education is a pathway to improving lives,” Mr. Swanson said. “Now more than ever, as the lingering effects of the pandemic on academic performance become clearer, Helios has an opportunity to make meaningful change.”

Members of the Helios Education Foundation Board of Directors have a wide range of education, business, community, and policy expertise. In addition, the board is representative, in gender, ethnicity, and geography, of the communities the Foundation serves. Helios Board members include:

  • Vince Roig, Founding Chairman
  • Paul J. Luna, President and CEO
  • Don Aripoli, Ph.D.
  • Mark Fernandez
  • Tom Herndon
  • Vada O. Manager
  • Ioanna Morfessis, Ph.D.
  • Jane LaRocca Roig, Vice Chair
  • Maria Sastre
  • Steven Wheeler
  • Jim Swanson

Each board member brings a passionate commitment to student success. Since 2004, under the Board’s leadership, Helios has:

  • Invested nearly $300 million in partnerships and initiatives focused on improving education outcomes in the two states we serve;
  • Helped more than 1.4 million students participate in early learning, college and career planning, and postsecondary education programs that will help lead to success in earning a postsecondary degree;
  • Provided professional development opportunities to more than 60,000 educators; and
  • Awarded 27,000 scholarships.