Moraine Valley alumnus receives statewide distinguished alumnus award

Moraine Valley Community College alumnus, Brian P. Swift, of Mokena, received the 2026 Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA) Distinguished Alumnus Award, which recognizes an alumnus who has exhibited outstanding success and distinction in their chosen field. Additionally, the recipient must have shown service that is beneficial to society and supported community college education.

Swift is a motivational speaker, author, and founder and president of Swift Outdoor Accessible Recreation, a nonprofit organization that offers equipment, programs and services for individuals with disabilities to help them enjoy the outdoors.

Swift enrolled at Moraine Valley in 1980, less than one year after sustaining a spinal cord injury and becoming a C5/6 quadriplegic. After graduating from Moraine Valley and Saint Xavier University, he attended DePaul University College of Law, where he received his juris doctor.

After spending 20 years in corporate sales and developing employee training initiatives, Swift turned his focus to helping others. As a certified motivational speaker, he delivers keynote addresses and provides executive coaching. He has authored nine motivational books, including a series called “Swift Fixes.”

He also was recognized as the college’s 2026 Distinguished Alumnus as part of the Moraine Valley Foundation’s Alumni Hall of Fame. “My journey here was the first time I left my house into the real world after breaking my neck,” he shared at the Hall of Fame event. “I’ve been blessed in so many ways, not just by the students that I came here with, but the faculty and the administration. Since then, I’ve been back and been honored to talk and meet more people from Moraine Valley that are just like the people that I met 45 years ago. So, this is a soft place to land, and it’s a great place to build a foundation.”

Swift received the award at the ICCTA Awards Banquet on June 5, which was attended by Moraine Valley’s president, Dr. Pamela J. Haney, and several members of Moraine Valley’s Board of Trustees.

Nominations for the 2026-27 Alumni Hall of Fame now are being accepted through June 30. To nominate a Moraine Valley alumnus, visit morainevalley.edu/alumni/hall-of-fame.

For news media inquiries, contact Madisson Younglove, assistant director of Communications at Moraine Valley, at (708) 974-5281 or younglovem2@morainevalley.edu.