Dr. Lynn Swaner
President of the US at Cardus
Dr. Lynn Swaner is the President of the US at Cardus, a non-partisan think tank dedicated to clarifying and strengthening, through research and dialogue, the ways in which society’s institutions can work together for the common good.
Dr. Swaner is the editor or lead author of numerous books, including Future Ready: Innovative Missions and Models in Christian Education (Cardus & ACSI, 2022); Flourishing Together: A Christian Vision for Students, Educators, and Schools (Eerdmans, 2021); and MindShift: Catalyzing Change in Christian Education (ACSI, 2019).
Dr. Swaner holds a doctorate in organizational leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University and a diploma in strategy and innovation from University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. She previously served as a professor of education and a Christian school leader in New York.
Flourishing Together: Research & Practice in Christian Schools
Amid sustained challenges, Christian educators can find renewed encouragement, hope, and vision in the psalmist’s blessing, “May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children” (Psalm 115:14). Based on the research underlying the book Flourishing Together: A Christian Vision for Students, Educators, and Schools, Dr. Lynn Swaner will engage participants through keynotes, discussion, and reflections that explore flourishing in Christian schools through the lens of five research-based domains of flourishing: Purpose, Relationships, Learning, Resources, and Well-Being. Sessions will encourage and equip leaders to create flourishing ecologies in their schools, where adults and students can truly flourish—together.
KEYNOTE #1
Flourishing Together: Purpose and Relationships
In addition to an overview of the research behind Flourishing Together, this keynote will explore two of the five domains of flourishing: purpose and relationships. First, in John 10:10b, Jesus shares his personal mission statement when he declares, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” As we consider the implications of this statement for abundance in our schools, we will explore leaders’ own sense of purpose, alongside ways in which schools can foster a shared sense of purpose among all school constituents. Second, we will explore the domain of relationships, which, when trust-filled, supportive, and authentic, foster belonging and interconnectedness between all school constituencies, as well as the surrounding community.
KEYNOTE #2
Flourishing Together: Learning and Resources
A view toward flourishing has significant implications for how we shape learning for both students and faculty in Christian schools, as well as the ways in which we steward our resources. This session will focus on a Christian vision for leadership in these two domains of flourishing, with an emphasis on moving ourselves—and our schools—toward greater interdependence, synergy, abundance, and generosity that better reflects the Gospel to our students and communities.
KEYNOTE #5
Flourishing Together: Well-Being
In God in the Dock, C.S. Lewis writes that no one can give away what they do not already possess themselves—that “nothing which was not in the teachers can flow from them into the pupils.” Research supports the claim that where there are few flourishing educators, there can be few flourishing students. In this final session, leaders will explore the domain of well-being—not just for their students, but also for themselves—through the lens of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, which provides insight for how we can flourish in the midst of ongoing challenge.