Glen D. Johnson, Chancellor
Professional
Dr. Glen D. Johnson is the chief executive officer for the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. Johnson leads a state system comprised of 25 state colleges and universities, ten constituent agencies, two higher education centers and independent colleges and universities coordinated with the state system. He reports to a constitutional board whose nine members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.
Background
Johnson became 8th Chancellor of the Oklahoma State System in January 2007 after a national search. Before assuming the role of chancellor, Johnson served as the 16th president of Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant for ten years.
In 1996-1997, Johnson served as Director of Public Policy at the University of Oklahoma and Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Oklahoma, College of Law. Prior to his work at the University of Oklahoma, Johnson served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1982 to 1996 and was Speaker of the House from 1990 to 1996. At the time of his election as Speaker, he was the youngest sitting Speaker in the United States.
Academic Credentials and Honors
Johnson is an honors graduate of the University of Oklahoma, with an undergraduate degree in political science and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oklahoma’s College of Law. He was selected for membership in Phi Beta Kappa in 1976.
Johnson holds memberships in numerous professional, state and national organizations and has been the recipient of many awards and honors during his career. In 2012, he was elected to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and has served as vice-chairman. In 2013 he was elected to serve on the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Board of Directors. In 2014, he was elected to serve on the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) Council of Presidents as well as the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) Executive Committee.
He is a founding member of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence in 1986. He is a member of the Oklahoma Heritage Association’s Executive Board of Directors and was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in November of 2006. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Oklahoma City University in 2009 and has been named as a Life Fellow of The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.
Personal
Johnson is the son of former United States Congressman Glen D. Johnson, Sr., and Imogene Johnson and was born in Oklahoma City. He attended grade school in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Muskogee High School in 1972. Johnson and his wife Melinda, a teacher at Edmond Memorial High School, live in Oklahoma City.
