As an economic development practitioner, trainer, mentor, and educator, she has supported hundreds of individuals with the creation, retention, and expansion of their businesses.  She specializes in partner relations, federal and state grants management and compliance, business and strategic planning, entrepreneurial development, finance, and small business innovation.  

Dr. Johnson has more than 23 years of experience in economic development and over 26 years in leadership training and development. She is a certified Master Economic Development Practitioner and manages a $12.2 million dollar budget and 35 employees. She is a proud graduate of Florida Memorial University, Miami, FL with a BS in Education and holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership & Organization from Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale. She also holds a certification from Cornell University in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and advocates for public policies and business practices that promote inclusion and marketplace diversity.

A recipient of numerous awards, and recognitions, Johnson was recently named to the Tampa Bay Business Journal Power 100 as one of Tampa Bay’s most influential leaders of 2022, 2023 and of 2024. She has also been honored as a Tamp Bay Business Journal’s Women of the Year, First Lady in African American History by the Woodson African American Museum of Florida in 2022, as ONYX Magazine’s 2022 Woman on the Move, as Girls, Inc., Outstanding Women in STEAM, 2024.  In 2021, she was appointed as Honorary Commander to MacDill Airforce Base’s 927th Air Refueling Wing. She is also a member of the St. Petersburg (FL) Chapter of Links, Incorporated and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.