Written by Emma Jones // Photos provided by UCM
The Harding University board of trustees announced the addition of Mark Crews, Mark Weeks and Dr. Swaid Swaid via press release on May 16, 2022. The addition of another member, Robin Maynard, was announced on Aug. 25. Maynard’s appointment brings the number on the board to 24 men and women.
“Each of these men are great supporters of the University and align with our mission,” Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Robert Walker said in the May 16 press release. “They will each bring a unique talent and will join with the current board in thinking strategically as we transition to our new president.”
Crews, an alumnus of Texas A&M University, currently serves on the board of directors for Texas Institute of Science, Cimarron Energy and Detechtion Technologies. His wife, Roxi, and their three children all attended Harding, so he said it was a very easy decision to say yes to joining the board.
“I’m just very honored to be able to serve Harding, which is a special place for [my family],” Crews said. “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, and I just think it’s a great opportunity that we all have to take Harding forward from here.”
After earning an undergraduate degree from Harding and his Master of Business Administration degree from Vanderbilt University, Weeks went on to establish Woodmark Associates LLC, an investment management company. He has previously served as the vice president of finance for CVS Caremark Rx Inc. and as a senior manager at Ernst & Young.
Swaid graduated from Harding with a degree in biology and earned his medical degree from the University of Alabama. He works as a neurosurgeon and currently serves as CEO of the Surgical Institute of Alabama. His son, Christian Swaid, who is a freshman at Harding, said he felt his father’s appointment to the board was well deserved.
“When Dad got the news that he was chosen, he was pleasantly surprised,” Swaid said. “But I had noticed how much he loved Harding, so I expected it. He was very humble about being chosen. He’s focused on making a better Harding, making it better tomorrow than it is today.”
An Aug. 25 press release announced Maynard’s appointment to the board of trustees.
Maynard, an attorney from Minnesota, graduated with her bachelor’s degree in political science from Harding and earned her Doctor of Law from the William Mitchell College of Law. She serves as counsel at Lathrop GPM, and her work focuses on investigating allegations of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, gender-related violence, child abuse, and class discrimination and harassment. Much of her work has been done on behalf of K-12 schools, higher education institutions and faith-based organizations. She is the third woman to currently serve on the board.
“Robin served faithfully on the presidential search committee last year,” Walker said in the release. “She will bring her legal expertise and love for our University to her role as trustee.”
