A former combat pilot, Swanson is a senior business development professional with special expertise in technical ops, space-based sensors, physical security systems, biotelemetry, biometrics sensors, spectroscopy, and aerial security platforms such as drones and balloons.

He currently sits on the board of Transbiotec, an Irvine, Calif., firm that markets an alcohol detection and vital signs monitoring system for the automobile industry he helped develop, and on the advisory board of Epsori Space Systems, a Mojave, Calif.-based firm focused on space transport and a variety of research missions involving sensors. A former sales executive and pilot for Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp., Swanson was CEO of a multi-million dollar UV (ultraviolet light)/EB (electron beam) industry firm serving automotive OEM and defense industry suppliers.

A licensed airplane, seaplane, and helicopter pilot—and highly decorated Vietnam helicopter pilot—Swanson is a graduate of the US Army AMOC flight test program. He has served as president and chief pilot of the Orange County (Calif.) Search and Rescue response team. He graduated from the Pepperdine University School of Business in Malibu, Calif.