Ambassador Swindells is the managing Director and Vice Chairman of the U.S Trust Company in Portland, Oregon. Previous positions held by Ambassador Swindells were Chairman and CEO of Capital Trust Management Corporation and Managing Director and Founder of Capital Trust Company. He also served as one of five members on the Oregon Investment Council, overseeing the Public Employee Retirement Fund Investment Portfolio.

Ambassador Swindells currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Lewis and Clark College and on the boards of Portland State University's College of Urban and Public Affairs Advisory Council, School of Engineering and Applied Science and Center for Writing Excellence. He also is a trustee and past Chairman of the Board of Oregon Public Broadcasting and a trustee for the Portland Art Museum. He is a graduate of Lewis and Clark College -- and in May received and honorary doctorate in law from the school.

In his June 27 confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ambassador Swindells said the U.S. and New Zealand share "a long tradition of friendship that gives our bilateral relationship a very special vitality. If confirmed, I will strive to build on that strong relationship and friendship."