Travis is a Bad River member and completed a bachelor’s degree in 2015 from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in Resource Management specializing in Ecosystem Restoration & Wildland Fire Science. Swanson works closely with the U.S Forest Service to lift up GLIFWC's Memorandum of Understanding within USFS's plans and projects to protect the rights of tribal harvesters across Ceded Territory.
Swanson previously worked as an assistant engine captain for the Bureau of Land Management in the North Central Montana District and has experience with various organizations including the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, BIA-Great Lakes Agency, BIA-Pine Ridge Agency, and the USDA-Forest Service Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Most recently, Swanson worked in the School District of Bayfield as a paraprofessional in special education.