Susan Swain

For the professor of pathology, see Susan L. Swain.

Susan M. Swain^[1] (b. 1954) is an American business executive and journalist who was the co-chief executive officer of C-SPAN with Robert Kennedy from April 2012 to September 2024.

Susan Swain
Swain in 2015
Born	(1954-12-23) December 23, 1954 (age 70) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Scranton (B.A.)
Occupation(s)	Business executive, journalist
Employer	C-SPAN
Known for	Broadcasting executive at C-SPAN
Notable work	First Ladies: Presidential Historians on the Lives of 45 Iconic American Women
Television	First Ladies: Influence & Image
Title	Co-CEO
Predecessor	Brian Lamb
Successor	Sam Feist

Early years and education

Swain was born December 23, 1954,^[2] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[3]

Swain was part of the first class of women at the University of Scranton when it became coeducational in 1972.^[4][5] She received a Bachelor of Arts in communications in 1976, magna cum laude.^[3][5] She served as a university trustee for six years, and in 1999, the school awarded her an honorary doctorate.^[5]

Career

Susan Swain with (from left) Rob Kennedy, co-CEO of C-SPAN, and network founder Brian Lamb in 2012

Swain began working for C-SPAN in 1982 as an associate news producer.^[4] She was named co-president and chief operating officer in 2006 and co-chief executive officer in 2012 with Robert Kennedy.^[6][7] Kennedy oversaw finances and technology; Swain oversaw broadcast programming and marketing.^[3]

Swain helped create American History TV and First Ladies: Influence & Image.^[4] She made more than 5,300 appearances on C-SPAN during her time with the organization.^[8] In 2024, Swain and Kennedy were succeeded as C-SPAN CEO by Sam Feist, head of CNN's Washington D.C. news bureau.^[9]

Swain was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Cable Hall of Fame in 2019.^[10] She is a former member of the board of directors for Talbots and Discovery Communications,^[11][12] and is an emerita board member of the National Press Foundation.^[5]

Bibliography

• Lamb, Brian; Swain, Susan (2008). Abraham Lincoln: Great American Historians on Our Sixteenth President. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1586486761.
• Lamb, Brian; Swain, Susan; Farkas, Mark, eds. (2011). The Supreme Court: A C-SPAN book Featuring the Justices in Their Own Words. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1586488352.
• Swain, Susan (2015). First Ladies: Presidential Historians on the Lives of 45 Iconic American Women. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 1610395662.
• Lamb, Brian; Brinkley, Douglas; Medford, Edna Greene; Smith, Richard Norton; Swain, Susan (2019). The Presidents: Noted Historians Rank America's Best—and Worst—Chief Executives. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1541774339.