Project Description
Title:Chief Academic Officer (CAO)
At PALCS Since: 2015
Education:
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Gwynedd Mercy University
Masters of Science in Educational Administration, Gwynedd Mercy University
Bachelor of Science in Physics, Lincoln University
Brief Biography: In her junior year of college, Dr. Johnson had the opportunity to teach science to a group of students and through that experience discovered her love for teaching. “It was amazing to see how I was able to explain a technical concept in a way that the students could understand. I wanted to teach science to provide a positive role model for students,” says Dr. Johnson.
It was just shortly after she began her teaching career that Dr. Johnson knew that she wanted to be a leader with in the field of education. Whether it was volunteering to head up a project or take on some extra work to better the school, Dr. Johnson was always one to lead. As ten years passed, she gained valuable teaching experience and decided that it was time to bring what she learned not just to a classroom but to an entire school. She was ready to take on the role of Principal and make a difference.
“I am driven to continue to teach after 21 years by my desire to make sure that my students succeed. I want all of the students that I interact with to become leaders in this world,” says Dr. Johnson.
In regards to working at a cyber charter school, Dr. Johnson said that she had always been drawn to working at schools that were considered different and outside the norm. She previously taught at one of the very first charter schools in Pennsylvania and had the opportunity to collaborate with fellow teachers to implement a new educational model. She now has the same type of opportunity working at PALCS.
Her hope for PA Leadership’s future is that one day the PALCS educational/instructional model will not only expand into other cyber and brick and mortar schools, but to other states as well. She would like to see students in other states get the opportunity to learn the PALCS way.
Dr. Johnson has been married for 15 years and has two children. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her family, as well as sewing, dancing, and cooking.