Alexis McGill Johnson

Alexis McGill Johnson is an American academic and social justice advocate. She is the executive director and co-founder of the Perception Institute, an anti-bias research group, and is currently the president of Planned Parenthood.

Alexis McGill Johnson
Alexis McGill Johnson in 2020
President and CEO of Planned Parenthood
Assumed office
July 16, 2019
Acting: July 16, 2019 – June 26, 2020
Preceded byLeana Wen
Personal details
Born1972 (age 48–49)
New York City, New York, U.S.
EducationPrinceton University (BA)
Yale University (MA)

Early life and education

McGill Johnson was born in New York City in 1972 and raised by her mother and father.[1] Her mother worked her way up from a secretary to an executive-level position at AT&T. McGill Johnson's childhood was strongly influenced by her parents' pride in black culture.[2]

In 1993, she graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in political science and a focus in Latin-American social movements.[3][4] She went on to receive a Master of Arts from Yale University in 1995 also in political science.[5][6][7]

Career

McGill Johnson taught political science and African-American studies at both Yale and Wesleyan University. She served as political director for Russell Simmons' "Hip-Hop Summit Action Network", and was the executive director of Citizen Change during the 2004 election season, launching their "Vote or Die!" campaign.[8]

In 2009, she co-founded the Perception Institute (formerly known as the American Values Institute), a research group studying to reduce bias and discrimination, and is their executive director. Notably, she co-created the curriculum for Starbucks' racial bias training in May, 2018.[3]

On July 16, 2019, McGill Johnson was announced as Planned Parenthood's acting president after the termination of Leana Wen. McGill Johnson was previously a board member and was the board's chair from 2013 to 2015.[9] At that time, the Perception Institute listed her as being "on leave."[10] On June 26, 2020, she was elevated to permanent president and CEO of Planned Parenthood.[11]

McGill Johnson has also served on the boards of New York Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Social Inclusion, and Citizen Engagement Lab.[8]

Personal

She lives in New York City. She is married to Robert Johnson. He is the president of the Institute for New Economic Thinking.[12] They have two daughters, Sara Jean and Dylan Katherine.[13] [14]

References
  1. "Meet the New Head of Planned Parenthood: Alexis McGill Johnson Is a Seasoned Soldier in the War for Women's Reproductive Health". The Glow Up. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  2. Initiative Radio, IR-10-25 Alexis McGill Johnson, retrieved 2019-07-24
  3. "What I Learned: Teaching Baristas About Bias". Princeton Alumni Weekly. 2018-12-31. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  4. "Activist fights voter apathy". Lewiston Sun Journal. 2005-02-23. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  5. Fennimore, Jack (2019-07-16). "Alexis McGill Johnson: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  6. "Black Woman Yale Grad Is New Acting President of Planned Parenthood". Black Enterprise. 2019-07-17. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  7. Marks, Mindy (June 25, 2018). "Yale Alumni Association Hosts Panel Discussion on Black Women, Beauty, and Perception". YaleWomen. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  8. "Alexis McGill Johnson". othering & belonging. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  9. "Planned Parenthood Announces New Leadership". www.plannedparenthood.org. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  10. "Team". Perception Institute. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  11. "Alexis McGill Johnson Named Permanent President and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund". www.plannedparenthood.org. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  12. "Institute for New Economic Thinking". Institute for New Economic Thinking.
  13. Read, Bridget (April 7, 2020). "How the Acting Head of Planned Parenthood Gets It Done". The Cut.
  14. "Who Is Alexis McGill Johnson?". August 8, 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.