Rukiya Curvey Johnson

Rukiya Curvey-Johnson is a leader in STEM education equity, workforce development, and community health. She serves as executive director of REACH (Rush Education and Career Hub) and vice president of community health equity at Rush University System for Health. In this dual role, Curvey-Johnson oversees education, workforce development, and health equity programs that impact young people and the broader community. She has been recognized by Crain's Chicago as one of the notable leaders in health care.

Prior to joining Rush, Curvey-Johnson was executive director of STEM and strategic initiatives at Chicago Public Schools, where she led the development and implementation of the district's K-12 STEM strategy and the CPS STEM Standards for Success. She also directed the Early College STEM initiative, which enabled students to graduate with both high school diplomas and associate degrees in information technology. After her tenure at Chicago Public Schools, Curvey-Johnson joined Rush University Medical Center as executive director of the Rush Education and Career Hub, focusing on expanding opportunities in STEM and health care.

At Rush, Curvey-Johnson transformed the Science and Math Education Network into REACH, which provides pipeline programming for Black, Latinx, and other underrepresented youth in STEM and health care careers. The hub prepares thousands of students annually, from elementary through college, for careers in STEM fields and health care. REACH programming has supported students in continuing their education beyond the first year of college. Curvey-Johnson has contributed to academic literature, co-authoring a peer-reviewed paper, "Cultivating STEM/Health Identities and Talent in Historically Marginalized Populations through Equity-Focused Place-Based Learning: The Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH) Model," published in the Journal of STEM Outreach.

Curvey-Johnson's advocacy for education and career access is informed by personal experience, emphasizing the connection between educational attainment, community health, and workforce diversity. She has overseen initiatives such as COVID-19 contact tracing, the Community Health Worker Hub, food security programs, and community partnerships.

Curvey-Johnson is a member of the Chicagoland Healthcare Workforce Collaborative Steering Committee, the West Side United Education Steering Committee, and several Chicago Public Schools advisory groups. She also serves on the board of the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center. Curvey-Johnson holds an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia. Her work centers on advancing equitable access to education and career opportunities in STEM, workforce development, and health care.