Speakers
As dean of the Jesse H. Jones School of Business, at Texas Southern University, Dr. Johnson has applied his unique blend of business acumen, fundraising, visionary curriculum development, and change agent skills to help move the Jesse H. Jones School of Business to the next level of strategic advantage. In his position as dean, Dr. Johnson has led the School’s reaffirmation of accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International and developed strategies to improve undergraduate retention and progression rates and increase student internships, scholarships, and employment opportunities. Paralleling upgrades in every area, Dr. Johnson developed strategies for fund development; faculty research support; and stakeholder and community engagement, including organizing a Business Advisory Council of impact leaders, introducing experiential learning, and encouraging and supporting service learning initiatives. Also, Dr. Johnson has over 15 years of experience in the private sector as Partner and President of Smith Graham and Company, an asset management company; as Director of Global Fixed Income Research and Senior Portfolio Manager at Templeton Worldwide; and as an Economist at the International Monetary Fund and Federal Reserve.
Active in civic and higher education organizations, Dr. Johnson is a member of the Cougar Investment Fund Board of the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, and the former chair of the investment committee. He is a member of the investment committee of the Greater Houston Community Foundation, a member of the Sigma Pi Phi, Nu Boulé Fraternity in Houston, and a member of the Center for Houston’s Future, Class of 2002. He is a former member of the board of overseers of the Wright Fund at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University; the audit, finance, and investment committees of the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast; the board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Houston; the board of directors of Goodwill Industries Houston; the board of advisory trustees of the Houston Ballet; and the board of directors of the Rabun Gap Nacoochhee School in Rabun Gap Georgia. Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. and MA in Economics from Stanford University, and a MBA in Finance and a BA in Economics from Adelphi University in New York.