Nick Swayne is the Executive Director of 4-Virginia and the founder of JMU X-Labs. He leads a team of partner institutions in meeting the mission to leverage their strengths to improve the efficiency and economic impact of higher education across the Commonwealth. Through JMU X-Labs, he coordinates the H4Defense, H4Diplomacy, and a variety of emerging technology courses. He serves as faculty advisor for the University Innovation Fellows, the Executive Director of Virginia-DC FIRST LEGO League robotics, co-chairs the Veteran Scholar's Task Force, founder of the Regional Veterans Collaborative, a doctoral candidate in Strategic Leadership (ABD), and is serving in his third term on the Harrisonburg City School Board. He's a retired Army officer with 26 years of service.