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Johnson is the newly minted executive director at the New Jersey Society of CPAs, representing more than 13,000 members in the Garden State. She joins the 125-year-old organization as the first Black female to lead a state CPA society, in a way, echoing the appointment of the person from whom she assumed the role. When he joined the organization, Ralph Albert Thomas, who retired this year, made history, as well, as the first Black person to head 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.

In a blog posted to the organization’s website this month, Johnson heralded a new day at the NJCPA. To begin, “The Society is in the process of implementing new directional initiatives [sustaining market share, improving the member experience and amplifying the NJCPA brand] grounded in deepening member engagement, strengthening the overall value proposition for our community and bolstering the pipeline of new professionals,” Johnson wrote. The post came a day before the 2023 NJCPA Convention & Expo kicked off in Atlantic City, and Johnson also reflected on being part of the excitement of the event. Building on that enthusiasm and face-to-face interaction, the new NJCPA leader has plans to conduct a comprehensive listening tour in the coming months as she settles into the new role, “taking time to meet with members and volunteer leaders to hear what our community needs and wants from us.”

If knowledge is indeed power, the plan puts Johnson on track for a windfall, collecting information from first-hand sources as she and her members embark on NJPCA’s “next chapter of impact and growth as the professional home for New Jersey’s accounting and finance professionals.”