After more than 10 years of service, retired Lt. Gen. Guy Swan is retiring from the Association of the U.S. Army.

A 1976 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and career armor officer, Swan retired from the Army in December 2011 and joined AUSA in January 2012 as vice president of education and executive director of what used to be known as the Institute of Land Warfare.

Swan will continue his relationship with AUSA by serving as a senior fellow.

In remarks June 29 at AUSA’s national headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, Swan noted the warmth of AUSA’s “family atmosphere.” He told friends and colleagues that “you ought to be very proud of being at AUSA. I have been, and I’ll continue to be part of the team.”

“I’ve learned more about the U.S. Army here in this job than I did in 35 years in uniform. I think for those that have served, you probably see that as well, that you see the breadth and depth of the United States Army here unlike what you see when you’ve got the nose to the grindstone trying to do your job in uniform,” Swan said.

Retired Gen. Bob Brown, AUSA president and CEO, praised Swan’s leadership as an Army officer and his commitment to AUSA’s mission of educating, informing and connecting with soldiers, families, civilians and veterans.

“He represents AUSA. He does it tremendously well,” Brown said, lauding Swan’s “lifetime of selfless service” and his impact on the Army and the nation.

At AUSA, Swan had wide responsibilities, including leading the association’s education and professional development programs. He also oversaw the creation of AUSA’s popular graphic novel series on Army Medal of Honor recipients and its “Army Matters” podcast and helped build its family readiness program.

Swan also established the AUSA fellowship program, which provides professional development opportunities for currently serving mid-level Army officers. Through the program, AUSA has hosted Army fellows since 2013, further connecting the association with those who serve.

During the farewell, Brown presented Swan with a framed excerpt from a proclamation published in the Congressional Record that honors Swan for “a lifetime of commitment and service to the nation and to others.”

The proclamation signed by Sens. Jack Reed and James Inhofe also says that in 10 years at AUSA, Swan “responded to ever-changing interests and needs of the Army by expanding and improving AUSA’s support for professional development and education.”

While in uniform, Swan commanded at every level through Army service component command. He commanded U.S. Army North; the Military District of Washington and Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region; and the 7th Army Training Command in Europe.

He also was chief of staff and director of operations for Multi-National Force-Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and was deputy operations officer for the 1st Armored Division during the first Gulf War.

Swan and his wife, Melanie, have two children. Ryan is an Army captain, and Melissa is a marketing representative at National Public Radio.

Succeeding Swan as AUSA’s vice president for Leadership and Education is retired Lt. Gen. Leslie Smith, whose last assignment before he retired from the Army in August 2021 was Army inspector general.