Philip H. Swenson was promoted to the rank of major by the United States Air Force April 1, according to a press release.

Swenson graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1999. In 2003 he received his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Minnesota. He went on to receive a master’s degree in astronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute for Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, in 2010.

Swenson will be one of two Air Force officers to received a STELLAR Early Career Award from the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation Saturday. RNASA will present him with the award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the nation in advancing space science and technology for the benefit of all humankind.

Swenson is currently assigned to the National Geospacial Intelligence Agency at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He resides in Centreville, Virginia, with his wife, Dana, and their three children.