Peder Swanson is a recently retired senior U.S. Army officer now working for Optum Serve, the federal-facing business unit of the world’s largest integrated health solution and healthcare delivery system, the United Health Group.  In his role, Peder is responsible for supporting federal clients to include the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services, or others as they deliver on their mission by improving the health and well-being of those we collectively serve.

BG Swanson culminated his military career as the Deputy Commanding General, 3rd Medical Command (Deployment Support). He also served as Deputy Commanding General (Operations) for the 807th Medical Command (Deployment Support).  Previous to this position, he served as the Total Force Integrator for Policy & Programs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs).  

BG Swanson received his commission in 1995 from Wheaton College’s (Illinois) ROTC program.  After graduating from the Officer Basic Course, he was assigned to the 67th Combat Support Hospital (CSH) in Wurzburg, Germany.  After serving for a year as the combined U.S. Army Medical Department Activity Wurzburg and 67th CSH Adjutant, BG Swanson deployed in support of the NATO peacekeeping mission in the Balkans, serving as a Medical Task Force S-1.  He subsequently served as Company Executive Officer and Company Commander for the 67th CSH.  BG Swanson then transitioned into a Chief of Healthcare Administration role with oversight for a network of ten primary care clinics throughout Bavaria.  Returning to the United States, he was assigned to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command with geographic responsibility for the recruitment of healthcare professionals in Northern California.  

In May 2001, BG Swanson separated from active duty to assume a position in Leadership & Organizational Development at Kaiser Permanente’s corporate headquarters in Oakland, California.  Soon after September 11, 2001, BG Swanson returned to service in the Army Reserve with Headquarters, 2d Medical Brigade as the Assistant Chief of Staff, Personnel.  Feeling compelled to return to active federal service, BG Swanson began serving in the Active Guard and Reserve program in 2003 as the S-3, 921st Field Hospital.  He served a second assignment with U.S. Army Recruiting Command and subsequently as the S-1 for the Western Medical Area Readiness Support Group.  

In early 2009, BG Swanson was assigned as the Chief of Plans, 30th Medical Command in Heidelberg, Germany and immediately deployed with the first theater-level medical command in Afghanistan.  In this role, BG Swanson was part of setting the theater for a surge of US and NATO forces and facilitating technical arrangements with allied partners for the care of U.S. Service members across Afghanistan.  Upon completing his assignment with the 30th Medical Command in Heidelberg, BG Swanson completed an Army War College Fellowship at the University of Texas, Austin before being assigned to Headquarters, Department of the Army in the Office of the Surgeon General.  He served as the Army Medicine G-3/5/7 Executive Officer and Medical Plans Officer.  After a unique opportunity with the Army Transition Team preparing a strategic assessment for the 39th Chief of Staff of the Army, BG Swanson served as the Army Reserve Advisor for the U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command and as Deputy Surgeon, Health Affairs & Policy in the Office of the Chief of the Army Reserve.

BG Swanson received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Wheaton College (IL) and a Master of Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma.  He is a graduate of the Army War College, the Joint Forces Staff College (AJPME), the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the AMEDD Officer Advanced Course.  

Among his awards and decorations, he is a recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Expert Field Medical Badge.  He is also a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit.

From 2020-2023, Peder served as a Principal with Top Corner Consulting, LLC.  This firm specializes in strategic planning & integration within the U.S. Intelligence Community.  BG Swanson supported the organizational strategy of the National Reconnaissance Office in Chantilly, Virginia as well as strategic planning for the Central Intelligence Agency.

BG Swanson and his wife Sasha live in the National Capitol Region with their four children (Isaac, Aubrey, Esther and Ezra).

Dr. Mark Swofford has been part of Optum since 2019, joining us from WellMed (OptumCare), where he most recently served as the Senior Vice President of Enterprise Care and Value Operations. Dr. Swofford brings with him 27 years of military experience, serving as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, where he provided health services administration and operational expertise to the Army Medical Department and its subordinate units. ​ 

Dr. Swofford is a board-certified health care executive with more than 29 years of experience in DoD and Medicare Advantage health care including development and delivery of clinical programs, executive leadership positions in inpatient and outpatient medical treatment facilities with annual operating budgets up to $1.2 billion, and supervision of multiple government contracts totaling over $300 million annually. Previous roles include health care delivery in hospitals and health clinics, analytics and policy development at the regional and national levels, and the provision of care management, utilization management, and population health management to patients in a full risk environment. Skilled in strategy development, change management, and program execution. 

Dr. Swofford has a PhD, Health Services Organization Research from Virginia Commonwealth Univ and Master’s in Health Administration from Baylor University. Dr. Swofford has more than 29 years of experience developing and implementing clinical programs in inpatient and outpatient facilities at the regional and national levels.