Jane Swift is the current CEO of Middlebury Interactive Languages, based in Middlebury Vermont, a leading K-12 World Language Learning organization. Swift served as a Massachusetts State Senator from 1991-1996, and the 69th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1999-2003 which lead to her role as Governor of Massachusetts from 2001-2003. Not only did Swift become the youngest woman ever elected to the Massachusetts Senate at 25 years old, but she is the only woman to perform the duties of governor of Massachusetts. In addition, at the time she became acting governor, Swift was the youngest female governor in U.S. history at 36 years old.
As a three-term state senator, Swift was instrumental in crafting the landmark Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 and as Governor implemented many of the education reforms she worked on which proved so successful the US Department of Education declared it a national model for other states. While acting Governor for Massachusetts, not only was Swift juggling a family with three young children, but she won widespread praise for her response to the attacks of September 11th and her management of the fiscal crisis that followed in Massachusetts.
Jane became Chief Executive Officer of Middlebury Interactive Languages in August 2011. Formerly the Governor of Massachusetts from 2001 to 2003, after having served as Lieutenant Governor as well as a Massachusetts State Senator, Jane has shown a continued commitment to excellence in public education as both an elected official and in the private sector.
As a three-term state senator, Jane assisted in crafting the landmark Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993, which introduced accountability, high standards, and innovation into Massachusetts’ public schools. As governor, she implemented many of these reforms, which proved so successful that the U.S. Department of Education declared it a national model for other states.
Prior to coming to Middlebury Interactive Languages, Jane served as the Senior Vice President of Government Solutions and Strategy for ConnectEDU, a private education technology company that helps students successfully make college and career transitions; while there she led efforts to secure statewide contracts in Texas, Louisiana, and Hawaii. She was also an education advisor and principal of WNP Consulting, which guided private investors interested in the education market.
Additionally, Jane was a general partner at Arcadia Partners L.P., a for-profit education industry VC firm, which invested in clients such as Teachscape and Chancery Software. Jane also speaks professionally on women’s leadership, education improvement and work-family integration. Jane’s unique combination of public policy and for-profit education expertise puts her in an ideal position to lead her team in executing Middlebury Interactive’s mission of providing access and opportunity for all students, helping them gain world language skills for a 21st Century global marketplace as well as impact world language education standards across the U.S.
Jane holds a B.A. in American Studies from Trinity College and has received six honorary doctorates and numerous awards. She is currently a Distinguished Lecturer in Leadership Studies at Williams College, a teaching position she has held for three years. She has also held a fellowship at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. During college, Jane spent a term abroad in Rome, Italy, where she was immersed in the local culture and became conversational in Italian, which she had also experienced when visiting her grandmother’s home growing up. Swift currently serves on the board of Sally Ride Science and the External Women’s Advisory Network for Deloitte. She previously served on the board of K12, Inc., from 2008 to 2011. Swift grew up in North Adams and played on the women’s rugby team and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma while at Trinity.
