About the President
President Johnson has more than 30 years of higher education experience as a faculty member, researcher and administrator. She joined the IUPUI faculty in 1993 and ascended through the ranks as a department chair, dean and associate vice chancellor for undergraduate education, prior to her role as chief academic officer. She has a record of achievement in a number of areas including student success, enrollment management, faculty development, research, academic program quality, strategic initiatives and partnerships, equity and inclusion, and fundraising.
During her time at IUPUI—the urban research campus of Indiana University, President Johnson established the Strategic Information Council, which used data to drive improvements in student retention and success. She launched the Institute for Engaged Learning, which—among other goals—provided opportunities for all students to participate in at least four applied, integrative and engaged learning experiences. She championed the development of campus-wide learning outcomes for undergraduates in the Profiles of Learning for Undergraduate Success.
While at IUPUI, President Johnson launched the Forum Network to ensure that faculty had the resources they needed to be innovative and productive inside and outside of the classroom. She served as principal investigator on the National Science Foundation grant focused on Evidence-Informed Practices to Improve Climate (Project EPIC) to transform departmental cultures within STEM disciplines to improve the retention and advancement of women, particularly women of color.
President Johnson is deeply involved with a number of national organizations, including Complete College America, the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities, and the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. The partnerships developed with these organizations, and others, have contributed to her institution adopting best practices and improving institutional effectiveness.
President Johnson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a doctorate in psychology (cognition and development) from Emory University in Atlanta.
President Johnson is married to Richard Foran; they have five children and two grandchildren.