Shaun R. Harper

Dr. Royel M. Johnson is an award-winning academic, compelling public speaker, and recognized expert on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools and organizations, student success and belonging, and racial equity.

Dr. Johnson is a tenured professor at the University of Southern California where he also serves as Director of Student Engagement for the USC Race and Equity Center. Previously he was on the faculty at Penn State University and Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Higher Education.

A respected voice in his field, Dr. Johnson’s scholarship has made contributions to the nation’s understanding of how institutional structures can be fashioned to improve the material conditions of racially minoritized and other underserved groups. His record includes $5.3 million secured in grants and contracts, over 60 academic publications, including articles in leading journals; and three books: Racial Equity on College Campuses: Connecting Research and Practice (SUNY Press); Enacting Student Success: Critical and Alternative Perspective for Practice (Jossey-Bass) and Creating New Possibilities for the Future of HBCUs: From Research to Praxis (Information Age Publishing).

Dr. Johnson is deeply committed to translational research that informs policy and practice. He has delivered over 100 invited talks and regularly consults with campuses and national organizations. In 2020, Pennsylvania legislators sought his consultation on HB2952, which aims to ban the use of criminal record screening on college applications. He also leads a rapid response network designed to increase the use of research by critically conscious education scholars in policy making.

Dr. Johnson is a two-time graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a B.A. in Political Science and an Ed.M. in Educational Policy Studies. He earned his Ph.D. in higher education and student affairs, with a cognate in race and social policy, from The Ohio State University.