Dr. Wm. Andrew Schwartz is an American philosopher and activists working toward ecological civilizaiton. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Andrew studied religion at Northwest Nazarene University before moving to the Midwest to complete an MA in theology at Nazarene Theological Seminary. Motivated by a desire to engage the "things that matter most," his studies in religion were philosophical in nature; exploring questions of ultimate reality, truth, and religious pluralism. These interests led Andrew to Southern California, where he completed an MA in philosophy and a PhD in philosophy of religion and theology at Claremont Graduate University.

While a graduate student in Claremont, Andrew began working as the Communications Director for the Center for Process Studies (CPS)--a nonprofit think-tank that conducts interdisciplinary research and education to cultivate holistic understanding that drives innovative solutions for global wellbeing. During that time, he began working closely with John B. Cobb, Jr. who became a friend and mentor that inspired Andrew's academic research and career trajectory. Andrew discoverred his organizational and leadership skills, which were reinforced during his appointment as Manager Director of CPS in 2013. Flourishing in that role, Andrew was named Executive Director of CPS in 2016, where he continues to build upon the legacy of John Cobb and David Ray Griffin.

In 2015, following the successful organization and execution of a 2,000-person conference (Seizing an Alternative), and at the request of John Cobb, Schwartz partnered with Philip Clayton to launch the Institute for Ecological Civilization (EcoCiv)--a non-profit organization that works to connect government, business, and civic leaders with scholars and activists to design systems solutions for the long-term wellbeing of people and the planet.

In 2019, Andrew and his family moved back to the Pacific Northwest, when he became a professor of process studies & comparative theology with Claremont School of Theology. Shorter after he was invited to serve as Affiliated Faculty with the Center for Sustainability and Environmental Justice at Willamette University. Andrew teaches a wide range of graduate courses in the areas of philosophy, religion, and theology, including courses in process studies, environmental philosophy, asian and comparative philosophies, and systematic theology. His scholarship is shaped by the process-relational worldview he advocates. In philosophy and religion, his research is cross-cultural and comparative, with a recent focus on topics like cosmology, panentheism, panpsychism, nondualism, and Jainism.

That same desire to engage in "things that matter most" which led Schwartz to study philosophy and religion, now drives his interest in addressing a complex web of social and environmental challenges. Andrew enjoys asking "big questions," challenging underlying assumptions, values, and goals that drive modern social-economic systems. To this end, he focuses on putting philosophy to work to change stories and systems for building a more sustainable, equitable, and peaceful world--an ecological civilization.