As chief executive officer and executive director of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, Johnson represents more than 13,000 members across the Garden State. She joined the 126-year-old organization in June 2023 as the first Black female to lead a state CPA society.

Bringing insight to the profession from her more than 20 years working for nonprofits and professional and trade associations, Johnson was most recently executive director of BKR International’s Americas Region, making her keenly aware of the challenges CPAs face and the value they provide.

Johnson has held elected roles on several boards, including the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. 

Additionally, Johnson is involved with organizations such as BKR’s Center of Excellence Advisory Board, the Community Foundation of New Jersey, the Executive Women of New Jersey and the Berkshire Farm Center & Services for Youth.

Johnson – whose business interests also include ethics, data driven strategies, technology, social investing and policy – created the “Let’s Talk DEI” podcast series in 2022 after being named a Robert J. Myers Carnegie Fellow. The program explored the ethics of equality through journalism, sports and civic engagement.

In her Spring 2024 message to NJCPA members, Johnson recapped advocacy efforts around matters such as tax policy, student loan debt, cannabis and child care. However, she noted that one of the most pressing and most personal issues regards “the need for talent.” 

“As we continue to address profession-specific pipeline challenges such as the CPA brand and barriers to licensure, we’re also looking at the talent shortage through the advocacy lens, examining broader workforce development opportunities that will create, sustain and retain accounting talent that can support firms and businesses,” she wrote. 

“Lawmakers and business leaders recognize that accounting staffing shortages continue to be a significant challenge facing individuals, businesses of all sizes and local governments, and they support the NJCPA’s efforts to help grow the pipeline through public policy.”