Bio

Johnson comes to Fresno City after spending the last 22 months at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey as Director of Athletics and Recreation. While at Middlesex, Johnson was responsible for enhancing an athletics program and fielding 12 varsity teams. Johnson was responsible for the overall operation of the Blue Colt athletic program, including coordinating facilities, budgets, fundraising, corporate sponsorships and community relations.

Johnson came to Middlesex County College from Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) in Elizabeth City, North Carolina where he oversaw a 10-sport National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) program and successfully managed a staff of approximately 40 employees. His position was directly responsible I was for the growth of partnerships and the development of relationships as it relates to fundraising, community relations, and stewardship for the athletic department.

Proceeding ECSU he served as the Director of Athletics at Riverside City College in Riverside, Calif., where he oversaw a 17-sport program and led the athletic department to three top-10 finishes among two-year colleges in the prestigious Learfield Sports Directors Cup. In 2012, Riverside City College finished second in the nation, recognizing the overall athletic program’s excellence. He also received the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators Award in 2013.

During his time at RCC, Johnson saw 12 of his athletic teams participate in post-season play. Men’s and women’s tennis, women’s water polo, softball and women’s track and field program all won conference championships, while the men’s track and field team won both a conference championship and the 2013 and 2014 CCCAA State Championship. The football program appeared in one playoff game and won three consecutive bowl games. He also introduced women’s sand volleyball as a club sport for 2015.

Among his other accomplishments at RCC, Johnson hired three coaches who later won Coach of the Year honors. He also created an Academic Advising program in the athletic department and created the first-ever Student Athlete Advisory Council.

As a fundraiser, he secured more than $100,000 of institutional funds for the renovation, repair and replacement of the athletic weight room. He revived the Tiger Backer Booster Club and increased membership to more than 100 members. He also revived the Tiger Backer Golf Tournament, which raised $75,000 over a two-year period. Johnson also successfully secured a partnership with the Arizona Football Coaches Association where Riverside City College played host for the 2013 Arizona / SoCal High School Football game which is presented by Under Armor and televised live on Fox Sports.

Prior to his stop at RCC, Johnson served as the Associate Athletic Director at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. While working as Associate AD, Johnson assisted the President and Athletic Director with implementation of the athletic departments strategic planning. He also assisted the Athletic Director with growth of partnerships and the development of relationships as it relates to fundraising, community relations, and stewardship for the annual athletic campaign.

Johnson was responsible for the daily operations and game day planning of all 16 sports at Benedict College. His other duties included building relationships with the media and implementing marketing

and media plans, while overseeing all statistical data for Benedict athletics. Johnson was also responsible for all editorial work for Benedict's sports publications and official athletic website.

In 2010 Johnson created and implemented Benedict’s inaugural Daniel Burgess Tricycle Relays, an event which honored the untimely death of a co-worker’s young child due to asthma complications. The event, held in conjunction with title sponsor Select Health and the South Carolina Asthma Alliance, was awarded the National NCAA Division II Community Engagement Award of the Year and the SIAC Community Engagement Award of the year as well.

Johnson was promoted to Associate AD in 2009 after serving as Sports Information Director and Head Baseball Coach for seven years. During his time coaching, Johnson earned the SIAC Coach of the Year award in 2009 and led his team to a Divisional Championship in 2006 while serving as the Co-Chair of the NCAA Division II Regional Baseball Committee. His 2006 team was also ranked No. 3 in the National Black College Baseball Poll. He also had several of his baseball players selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft and earn All-SIAC and All-Tournament awards. During the 2009 season, Johnson’s team was the NCAA Division II statistical champion in the stolen base category.

Prior to coaching the Benedict baseball team, Johnson served as Assistant Director of Public Relations at Benedict College for three years. Before his service at Benedict, the seasoned publicist began his career as a Public Relations Coordinator for the S.C. State Housing Finance and Development Authority. In addition, Johnson was an assistant for the Director of Sports Information in the development and planning of special promotions and events at USC-Aiken.

Johnson is a member of several professional and civic organizations, among them the California Community College Athletic Directors Association (CCCADA), National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD), and National Association of Black Journalist (NABJ). He is also a 2010 graduate of the NCAA Leadership Institute (LI). Johnson was among 25 of 500 applicants selected into the program nationally.

Johnson, a Trenton, NJ native is a 1998 graduate of the University of South Carolina-Aiken, where he earned a Bachelors degree in Journalism/Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations. He also earned a Master of Sports Science degree from the United States Sports Academy. During his college career Johnson was a gifted student-athlete as both a writer for the Pacer Times newspaper and as a standout baseball player. Johnson was named to the NCAA Division II Peach Belt All-Conference team in back-to-back seasons in 1996 and 1997. In addition, Johnson was selected as a Major League Draft Pick by the Florida Marlins organization in 1993 and 1994. In 2008 he was inducted in to the Ewing High School Athletic Hall of Fame for past accomplishments in Football and Baseball.