Dr. James W. Swinehart is a social psychologist who has worked for the U.S. Army (Counter Intelligence Corps, Korea); Washington University (sociology department); University of Michigan (Survey Research Center, School of Public Health, Highway Safety Research Institute); Children's Television Workshop; TV networks (CBS, NBC, PBS); numerous federal agencies (e.g., Social Security Administration, National Cancer Institute, Federal Trade Commission, Library of Congress); national nonprofit organizations (e.g., American Medical Association, National Safety Council, Association for Consumer Research); and other similar groups. He has served on the boards of several public interest organizations.

In addition to teaching social science at universities, he has taught swimming and water safety for the Red Cross and a college, and English as a second language overseas. He has traveled in 47 states and 20 countries, sometimes by moped or hitchhiking. A published writer and photographer, his greatest pride is his two sons and four grandchildren.