Dr. Johnson is the 21st Senior Pastor of The Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York—the first African American Baptist Church in New York State and considered by many to be the flagship of the Black church in America. Dr. Johnson succeeds the late Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, who was his mentor while serving as an assistant pastor.
As President and CEO of Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), Dr. Johnson developed a new workforce-training vision and launched career-sustaining programs in banking, energy, construction, and technology. Under his leadership, OIC and its affiliates’ budget increased from $2M to over $5M. In 2017, he secured a $6.6M alternative school contract from The School District of Philadelphia, making OIC the first to provide over-aged and under-credited youth a pathway to earning a high school diploma and a direct pipeline to life-sustaining careers. Additionally, he launched BankWork$, the first bank training program in the US Northeast for young adults from low-income communities. While expanding OIC’s workforce programs, he successfully maintained a nearly 80 percent job placement rate for jobs in the hospitality industry.
As President and CEO of Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), Dr. Johnson developed a new workforce-training vision and launched career-sustaining programs in banking, energy, construction, and technology. Under his leadership, OIC and its affiliates’ budget increased from $2M to over $5M. In 2017, he secured a $6.6M alternative school contract from The School District of Philadelphia, making OIC the first to provide over-aged and under-credited youth a pathway to earning a high school diploma and a direct pipeline to life-sustaining careers. Additionally, he launched BankWork$, the first bank training program in the US Northeast for young adults from low-income communities. While expanding OIC’s workforce programs, he successfully maintained a nearly 80 percent job placement rate for jobs in the hospitality industry.