187 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mark Crews, Dr. Swaid Swaid and Mark Weeks were announced as the newest members of the Harding University board of trustees on May 16, 2022. Shortly after on Aug. 25, Robin Maynard was additionally announced as a new member of the board. Each new member was carefully considered before an official appointment. After a process of recommendation, potential members were interviewed and further reviewed by a committee before the entire board of trustees selected their newest members. Based on his experience serving for the board, Charles Ganus shared the attributes that are prioritized when deciding on a new member. “The individual must offer leadership, influence, spiritual insight and other qualities beneficial to Harding,” Ganus said. “We look for individuals already involved with Harding and serving in a variety of ways.” Crews, Maynard, Swaid and Weeks all possessed such qualities, along with the common goal of furthering Harding. However, they differed in the expertise each new member contributed. Crews spoke to this variety. “Each board member brings a different skill set. In today’s environment, the more perspectives you have to talk about problems, the better decisions you are going to make. It’s those skill sets that make a board really effective,” Crews said. “I just think it’s a great opportunity that we all have to take Harding forward from here.” Crews received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University and completed a management development program from Harvard Business School. Additionally, Crews had an abundance of leadership experience before joining the board. For Summit Partners, Crews served as executive-in-residence. In the Oilfield Division for Lufkin Industries, he carried out the roles of senior vice president and general manager. He also served as vice president for Cameron International Corp. Maynard earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Harding and her Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law. As an attorney, Maynard gained an abundance of legal experience that emphasizes her service to others. She served as counsel to Lathrop GPM, which supported businesses and organizations in their growth and success. Her legal focus involves the investigation of allegations in sexual misconduct and harassment, gender-related violence, child abuse, and class discrimination and harassment. Much of her work has been on behalf of K-12 schools, higher education institutions and faith-based organizations. In a press release detailing Maynard’s appointment to the board of trustees, Dr. Robert Walker commented on her previous experience in service to Harding, as well as the skills she earned working as an attorney. “Robin served faithfully on the presidential search committee last year,” Walker said. “She will bring her legal expertise and love for our University to her role as trustee.” Swaid graduated from Harding with a bachelor’s degree in biology and earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alabama. He is a neurosurgeon and has held a range of different positions in his field. Swaid is currently the CEO of the Surgical Institute of Alabama, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and chairman of the Certificate of Need Board of the Alabama State Health Planning and Development Agency. Swaid has also served as the medical director for Cyberknife of Birmingham and for HealthSouth Medical Center. He spent time as chairman of the Department of Surgery at Brookwood Medical Center and of the Neuroscience Division. Weeks received undergraduate degrees from Harding in accounting and computer science before he earned his Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University. He founded the investment management company Woodmark Associates LLC. Week held a position as senior vice president of finance and controller for CVS Caremark Rx Inc., and he served as a senior manager at Ernst & Young. With an array of different experiences, each new board member used their individual skills to serve the board of trustees in the goal of aiding Harding’s community: “We want the best for Harding students,” Ganus said. “Harding has had a significant impact on each of our lives. We want each student to experience that same positive impact and life-long connection with the Harding family.” Written by: Cora Freeman GETTING ON BOARD Four new members were added to the Board of Trustees.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==