Sward comes to Newland from Robert Charles Lesser & Co., a locally based consulting firm where she worked for 19 years, most recently as managing director. In her new role as Newland's director of research strategy, Sward will be responsible for finding new business opportunities for the company and assessing the performance of existing master-planned communities.

She is a national member of the Urban Land Institute, serving on the Community Development Council and as programs committee chair of the Atlanta District Council. Sward is also a member of the National Association of Home Builders and the Congress of New Urbanism.

Newland Communities is developing 60 communities in 11 states. The company sold about 9,500 residential lots in 2003, creating new homes worth over $3.5 billion.