Ashanti Johnson
Dr. Ashanti Johnson, one of the first African American female chemical oceanographers in the US, received her Ph.D. in Oceanography from Texas A&M University in 1999. She is an international STEM expert, highly accredited speaker and author profiled in Wikipedia, a variety of textbooks, and various other publications.
Dr. Johnson engages in scientific research, as well as the education, mentoring and professional development of students, university faculty and early career professionals. Her areas of expertise include oceanography, aquatic and environmental sciences, STEM diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ); faculty recruitment and diversity workplace and career empowerment; student academic and career readiness strategies; institutional change; organizational leadership and advancement convocations.
Dr. Johnson’s over 15 years of senior leadership experience in university, national and state non-profit and K-12 organizations, includes serving as University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Recruitment and Diversity; Special Assistant to the President (STEM Initiatives) at Morris Brown College, and most recently the founding CEO/Superintendent of a state-wide STEAM charter school system; CEO/President of STEM Human Resource Development Inc.; Executive Director of Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success (MS PHD’S) Professional Development and Mentoring Institute; and Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of Mat’l Science, Inc.
Dr. Johnson’s contributions to the global community include guidance regarding STEM initiatives and future opportunities to government agencies, universities, international conferences, and K-12 organizations in the US, Samoa, Fiji, The Cook Islands, Cambodia, Brazil, Spain, China, and Mexico.
Dr. Johnson has over 20 years of experience as a university faculty member. She is currently a Visiting Professor of Chemistry at East Central University and has previously served as a Visiting Associate Professor of Chemistry at Fort Valley State University, an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at UTA, an Assistant Professor of Marine Science at the University of South Florida, an Aquatic Geochemist at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Marine Science Researcher at Savannah State University.