EdD, 2023 Ronald L. Johnson retired from the U.S. Army in April 2008 as a Major General after 32 years of service. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Previously, he was a Professor at the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech, where he also served as a Faculty Leadership Fellow, Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Fellow, and Faculty Senator. Additionally, he serves as a board member of the National Workforce Solutions Advisory Board, a member of the Executive Advisory Council at Mission Readiness/Council for A Strong America, and a Trustee Emeritus at the Georgia Tech Foundation. During his time in the military, Johnson served as Commanding Director of the U.S. Army’s Installation Management Agency (IMA) from 2004 to 2005, and Deputy Commanding General and Deputy Chief of Engineers from 2005 to 2008. His military honors include the Distinguished Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star for Legion of Merit with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Combat Action Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge. In his education career, Johnson also has received multiple awards and honors, including the Black Engineer of the Year Award for Professional Achievement in Government Service in 2003, the Blacks in Government Leadership Excellence Award in 2007, the Black Engineer of the Year Award Lifetime Achievement in 2008, the 2017 Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization Trailblazer Award, the Atlanta Business League 2018 Man of Influence Award, the 2019 Black Engineer of the Year College Educator of the Year, and the highest Georgia Tech Alumni award - the Joseph Petit Distinguished Graduate Award in 2019. Johnson graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics. He continued his graduate studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology and received a Master of Science in Operations Research and Systems Analysis in 1985, and a Master of Science in Strategic Planning and Theater Operations in 1990.
