"I was driving back from Boston, gripping the wheel, thinking to myself, ‘Be careful what you wish for’," Mark Swann ’84 said, describing the advent of his remarkable career to a roomful of students at the McKeen Center. While Swann dreamed of being able to make an impact on the most needy, he also knew … Read more
Executive director of Preble Street, Mark Swann grew up in Massachusetts. Swann graduated Cum Laude from Bowdoin College with a bachelor’s degree in History. He then went on to earn a master’s degree in Public Affairs from the University of Massachusetts. Swann discussed his move back to Maine at the age of 28 to pursue … Read more
Mark Swann understands the realities of city living. "Being a great city entails a lot more than just having a vibrant arts community," he says. "It’s also about caring for your poorest. Half the state’s homeless population is in Portland, and we focus on the lives and experience of these people." This past year Swann … Read more
No doubt, Mark Swann should receive recognition for his long-term efforts on behalf of the many homeless helped by Preble Street and its affiliates. If it were possible, those very people now and in the past would give him a medal. As it is, I am quite sure that they have a heartfelt gratitude that … Read more
The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation has selected Mark Swann ’84 as one of 20 national finalists for an award honoring “those ordinary Americans who become extraordinary through their indomitable courage and selflessness.” Swann was selected from hundreds of nominations nationwide for the Citizen Service Before Self Honor for his decades of helping the homeless … Read more
PORTLAND — Mark Swann will know by Monday, March 12, if he will be honored by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society for his work in 21 years at the helm of Preble Street. Nominated by U.S. representative Chellie Pingree for a prestigious national award called Citizen Service Before Self, Swann probably couldn’t have imagined … Read more
Someone should give Mark Swann a medal. And later this month, someone just might. "The word I keep using to describe it is ‘overwhelming,’" said Swann, the longtime executive director of Preble Street, over a hot cup of coffee Thursday morning. "It’s been kind of a whirlwind couple of days." First the news: This week, … Read more
How do childhood events impact the health of an individual–or a community? How can we best “reap what we sow” when it comes to nutrition? All this and more on our autumn-themed “Harvest” show. This week’s guests included Julie Alfred Sullivan, Public Health Director for the City of Portland (Maine), Dr. Richard Maurer of Coastal … Read more
My talk with Preble Street Executive Director Mark Swann yesterday, after learning he was named a finalist for the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation’s Service Before Self Honors, was powerful as it always is with Mark. Preble Street Executive Director Mark Swann stands amid rennovation debris at his organization’s new teen homeless shelter in Portland … Read more
WASHINGTON — The executive director of Preble Street Resource Center is one of 20 national finalists for the Citizen Before Self Honors, chosen by recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Mark Swann of Portland is one of 10 finalists who are being recognized for "their willingness to sacrifice for others through a prolonged series … Read more
