Dr. Johnson is an author, public speaker, University Professor and advocate for students, teachers and families. Most notably, he was both a part of the transformation of an established high school from state sanction to national recognition and the founder of a large, comprehensive 1:Web high school with no books and no lockers. This involved strategic planning, garnering community support, extensive hiring of staff, and management of a 90 million dollar budget. Prior to entering the field of education, Dr. Johnson was a minor league baseball player in the Washington Nationals organization.

Currently, Dr. Johnson is an Associate Professor in the Advanced Studies in Education division (graduate school) at California State University - Stanislaus.