Roy Swan
Director, Mission Investments
Roy Swan leads the Ford Foundation’s Mission Investments program, overseeing the deployment of endowment capital across market-rate impact investments, program-related investments ranging from market-rate to concessionary, and grant capital supporting inclusive economies globally. Under his direction, the program maintains operations throughout the United States, Africa, China, India, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
With over three decades of experience spanning banking, finance, general management, investments, and law, Swan has established a distinguished career in both corporate and nonprofit leadership. He currently serves on the boards of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) and Parnassus Funds, while also contributing as a member of the AQR Funds Advisory Board, KKR Sustainability Expert Advisory Council, and Sobrato Capital Executive Committee. His previous board appointments include Aequi Acquisition Corp. (Ticker: ARBG), the Dalton School, Enterprise Community Partners, Freddie Mac (Ticker: FMCC), LIIF, the Morgan Stanley Foundation, the SASB Foundation, and Varo Bank.
Swan regularly contributes opinion pieces to prestigious publications including Forbes, Fortune, The Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, Institutional Investor, and Pensions & Investments. His “Patriotic Capitalism” column in The Observer explores investment strategies aligned with national interests, democratic values, and common good principles. Swan graduated from Princeton University in 1986, where he competed as a recruited member of the Track & Field team, and earned his law degree from Stanford Law School in 1992, serving as a Notes Editor of the Stanford Law Review.
