Brian K. Johnson, Ed.D.
President, Montgomery College

Dr. Brian K. Johnson became the seventh President of Montgomery College on February 1, 2007, following a national search by the College’s Board of Trustees.

As president, Dr. Johnson has launched initiatives to strengthen workforce training and educational opportunities for students, increase social responsibility within the College community, and enhance external and internal communications. He outlined this vision in his inaugural address, calling for the College, its partners, and the greater community to work together toward these goals

Dr. Johnson has led the College’s advocacy efforts to secure State and County support and funding for a planned state-of-the-art science center, which is scheduled to break ground at the College’s Rockville Campus in 2009. Under his leadership, the College has opened a new academic center and partnered to bring a County business incubator to the Germantown Campus. In addition, Dr. Johnson has sought support for the future development project planned for the Germantown Campus, which includes a bioscience education center and a business and technology park.

Since his appointment as president, Montgomery College has reached a record high in the number of students enrolled in credit classes, and the College has set an all-time high for its credit hour enrollment.

Beginning in 2005, the College embarked on its most ambitious giving initiative to date with a four-year $25 million capital campaign. This important fundraising initiative will provide valuable resources for new student scholarships, innovative educational programs, and teaching and learning facilities. Under Dr. Johnson’s leadership, as of September 2008, the College has raised just under $20 million with the goal of successfully completing the campaign by June 2009. 

Montgomery College is Maryland’s largest community college—in terms of credit enrollment—and the second largest undergraduate institution in the state of Maryland, behind only the University of Maryland, College Park. Montgomery College serves nearly 60,000 students a year, through both credit and noncredit programs, at its campuses in Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, plus its education centers and off-site programs throughout Montgomery County, Maryland.

Dr. Johnson serves nationally as a member of the American Council on Education’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Equity. In Montgomery County, Maryland, he serves as a board member of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, the Tech Council of Maryland/MdBio, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and the Universities at Shady Grove.

Prior to joining Montgomery College, Dr. Johnson served as chief executive officer of the Allegheny Campus and senior vice president for student and community services for the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While at the CCAC, Dr. Johnson spearheaded and launched the College’s “Achieving the Dream” effort, a nationwide initiative to raise the bar of student achievement. Prior to his promotion to CEO at Allegheny, Dr. Johnson served as vice president of the Allegheny Campus.

Dr. Johnson previously served as vice president of student and community services at Mesa Community College, in Mesa, Arizona, part of the Maricopa Community College District. His experience includes workforce educator, community college and university faculty member, community organizer, and campus CEO.

During his tenure in higher education, Dr. Johnson has completed numerous executive leadership programs, including Harvard's Institute for the Management of Lifelong Learning, the Thomas Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership, the League for Innovation's Executive Leadership Institute, the American Association of Community College's Future Leaders Institute, and the Pennsylvania Educational Policy Fellowship Program.

Most recently, he completed the Harvard University Seminar for New Presidents. He also graduated from Montgomery County’s leadership education program, Leadership Montgomery.

Dr. Johnson earned his Ed.D. in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University, a M.A. in education in counseling/human relations from Northern Arizona University, and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Ottawa University.