November 4, 2026 — Morehouse College announces the appointment of Dr. Ronald L. Johnson as Chief of Staff to the President, effective January 4, 2027. Dr. Johnson was selected through a national search conducted with support from JM Search. His appointment comes as the College develops a new strategic framework to position Morehouse for its next chapter of growth, academic excellence, and impact.
A retired U.S. Army major general and seasoned higher education leader, Dr. Johnson brings more than four decades of executive leadership across the military, professional sports, and higher education. He currently serves as senior vice president of strategic initiatives and chief of staff at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In that role, he advises the president, drives institute-wide priorities, and leads efforts to expand access for financially vulnerable and historically underrepresented students.
“Dr. Johnson has spent his life leading with discipline, integrity, and a deep commitment to service, from the U.S. Army to the NBA to higher education. As we develop the strategic framework that will guide Morehouse into its next chapter, his ability to turn vision into execution will be invaluable to our leadership team. He embodies the kind of principled leadership we seek to cultivate in every Man of Morehouse, and I am grateful to welcome him to the House,” says Dr. F. DuBois Bowman ‘92, president of Morehouse College.
As chief of staff, Dr. Johnson will serve on the President’s Executive Leadership Team. He will advise President Bowman on administrative and executive matters and help lead special projects and institution-wide initiatives. He joins Morehouse after serving at Georgia Tech since 2012, where he is also a professor of the practice in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Before entering higher education, Dr. Johnson served as the National Basketball Association’s first senior vice president of referee operations, overseeing every aspect of the league’s officiating program. His 32-year Army career included serving as deputy commanding general and deputy chief of engineers for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and as director of the U.S. Army Installation Management Agency, which managed all 181 Army installations worldwide. He also led $18.4 billion in reconstruction efforts in Iraq as commander of the Corps’ Gulf Region Division. Dr. Johnson was named the 2025 Black Engineer of the Year by U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine. His other honors include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, and the 2008 Black Engineer Lifetime Achievement Award.
A Chicago native, Dr. Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and mathematics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a Master of Science in operations research from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in strategic planning from the School of Advanced Military Studies, and a Doctor of Education in higher education management and leadership from the University of Georgia.
For more about Morehouse College, visit morehouse.edu.