When Jonathan “JJ” Johnson ’99 thinks back on his childhood in Fairfield, Alabama, in greater Birmingham, he remembers a life that was both loving and precarious. He grew up in a shotgun house across from historically Black Miles College, raised by a single mother who made sure he never felt deprived even when the lights were shut off.
“We were poor,” Johnson recalled, “but I never felt like we didn’t have anything. I had friends, support
and fun.”
College wasn’t an expectation. His older brother entered the military, and Johnson assumed he would, too. But a recruiting visit from Berea College alumnus Carl Thomas ’78 opened a door Johnson didn’t know existed. Thomas described studies in industrial arts and invited Johnson to tour campus. It was November, cold and far from Birmingham, but Johnson could see opportunity. With a full scholarship, he took a leap of faith.
“I wanted to take a chance on myself,” he said.
The shock of a wider world
Arriving at Berea was both exhilarating and unsettling. Johnson came from a community that was exclusively African American. Suddenly, he was in rural Kentucky, surrounded by new cultures, new expectations and new peers. His first roommate, from Tanzania, was also navigating culture shock, though from a different perspective.
“It forced me into introspection about who I am, about race, ethnicity and the preconceptions I carried,” Johnson reflected.
There is value in people with limited opportunity. When you give them a chance, they can do extraordinary things.
Jonathan Johnson ’99
Those early days were isolating, but Berea’s supportive communities helped. Johnson connected with the Black Student Union, African Student Union and Students for Appalachia, where service and dialogue gave him grounding. Music also became a haven. He joined the Black Music Ensemble, discovering a voice he didn’t know he had.
“It was like church for me,” he remembered.
Work and leadership also played a major role. Inspired by his resident assistant, Johnson applied for the same role his sophomore year. He later expanded his impact as a peer mentor at the Black Cultural Center, where he supported other students and strengthened community bonds. Both roles became gateways to lasting friendships with other student leaders—Brian Reed ’99, Chris Lakes ’98 and Dwayne Compton ’01. Together, they built community in the residence halls, learning to support others while navigating their own growth.
Education as transformation
Berea taught Johnson more than industrial arts. It taught him to see himself as a learner, a leader and a global citizen. Study abroad in Mexico deepened his perspective; he went to learn Spanish but returned with new insight into identity, culture and his place in the world.
“I ended up learning more about myself than anything,” he said.
The Berea experience, rooted in labor, service and diversity, planted in him a conviction that education changes lives, especially for those with limited opportunity.
“There is value in people with limited opportunity,” Johnson said. “When you give them a chance, they can do extraordinary things.”
That lesson has guided his entire career.
A career in service
After graduation, Johnson explored the professional world as a technical recruiter before Berea drew him back to student life. Mentors encouraged him toward advanced study, and he pursued a master’s degree in higher education at the University of Kentucky, then a doctorate at the University of Louisville, researching the identity development of Black college students.
From there, his career carried him across the country. He worked in residential life and student success at institutions in Georgia and New Jersey, eventually leading centers for health and well-being. In 2019, he moved to Texas as associate vice president for Health and Well-Being at the University of Texas at Arlington. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted fresh reflection on purpose and impact, leading Johnson to take on a new role as vice president for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas.
In 2020, Johnson launched JEDI Leadership Consulting as a freelance practice, guiding organizations to embed equity and belonging into their cultures. After several years balancing this work alongside executive leadership roles, Johnson is now dedicating his full focus and expertise to growing the consultancy, expanding its reach and impact with clients across sectors. The company name signals Johnson’s belief in justice, equity, diversity and inclusion as core drivers of transformational leadership.
Carrying Berea forward
Nearly three decades after stepping onto Berea’s campus, Dr. Jonathan L. Johnson sees his life as proof of Berea’s mission. A first-generation college student from a working-class family, he found his footing in an unfamiliar environment, embraced difference and discovered his capacity to lead.
The relationships he built then still sustain him. Weekly calls with his Berea brothers remind him of their shared journey. But it is Berea’s deeper lesson that endures, that education transforms lives and that opportunity, when extended to those who might not otherwise see it, can ripple outward in powerful ways.
“I use my past to guide my future,” Johnson said, invoking the West African Sankofa symbol he often reflects on. “Berea taught me that small experiences and relationships can shape a lifetime. That’s what I carry with me, and that’s why I do the work I do.”
As one in his last decade before becoming a centurion I still count graduation from Berea June 1955 as one of the highlights of my life. We alumni are a privileged people charged by that status to make a difference.
“May you ever flourish there, Berea the beautiful the fair. “