Ron Johnson to Depart Georgia Tech for Chief of Staff Role at Morehouse College

Ronald L. Johnson, senior vice president of strategic initiatives and chief of staff at Georgia Tech, will leave the Institute to serve as chief of staff to the president of Morehouse College, effective Jan. 4, 2027. 

A retired U.S. Army major general, higher education leader, alumnus, and faculty member, Johnson joined Tech in 2013. He has served the Institute in a variety of capacities, bringing decades of executive leadership experience to advancing Georgia Tech’s mission and strategic priorities. 

As senior vice president of strategic initiatives and chief of staff, Johnson has been a member of the Institute’s Executive Leadership Team, advising the president and helping guide institutional priorities, executive decision-making, and cross-campus initiatives.  

“Ron’s impact on Georgia Tech extends well beyond his leadership in the President’s Office,” said Interim President Tim Lieuwen. “Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to service — to our nation through his distinguished military career, to our students as a professor and mentor, to the Institute as a trusted leader and colleague, and to our community through his work with the City of Atlanta to advance critical infrastructure priorities. We are grateful for his many contributions and know he will bring that same dedication and passion for supporting students, faculty, and staff to his new role at Morehouse.” 

Johnson assumed his current role in June 2024, following years of service to the Institute as a professor of the practice in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. He has remained connected to the classroom and to students throughout his career at Tech, complementing his administrative leadership with a commitment to education and student success. 

In service to the Tech community, Johnson is an emeritus trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation, and a former trustee of the GT Alumni Association. He has also been named as a distinguished alumnus of the College of Engineering, received the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization Trailblazer Award, and the Joseph Mayo Petit Distinguished Service Award — the highest award conferred by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. 

Before returning to Georgia Tech in an executive leadership role, Johnson served as the National Basketball Association’s first senior vice president of referee operations, overseeing the league’s officiating program. His 32-year U.S. Army career included service as deputy commanding general and deputy chief of engineers for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, director of the U.S. Army Installation Management Agency, and commander of the Corps Gulf Region Division, where he led reconstruction efforts in Iraq. 

His contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, and the 2008 Black Engineer Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2025, he was named Black Engineer of the Year by U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine. 

Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and mathematics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a master’s degree in operations research from Georgia Tech, 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. 

At Morehouse, Johnson will advise the president on administrative and executive matters, serve on the president’s executive leadership team, and help lead special projects and institution-wide initiatives as the college advances its strategic framework. 

Johnson will be departing Georgia Tech Dec. 18; additional information about the transition and interim leadership will be shared as details are finalized.