Jessica Johnson was appointed to the Atlanta Public School Board of Education’s At-Large Seat 9 in January 2023. Prior to her appointment, she served on the APS Community Equity Advisory Committee, helping to draft the first community-informed version of the district’s Equity Policy.
A third generation educator, Jessica is also the founder and executive director of The Scholarship Academy, a nonprofit organization that helps low-income, first generation students secure more than $60 million in scholarships. She has spent the last decade serving as a national scholarship expert working with Atlanta metropolitan area schools and nonprofits across the country to help them build robust financial aid planning programs. She has also earned several national fellowships including Echoing Green, the Ashoka Changemaker Award, the Points of Light Foundation’s Civic Accelerator and most recently, The Roddenberry Fellowship.
Jessica received a master’s degree in public administration from American University. She has served on the Fulton Office of Workforce Development’s Youth Council Chair and an Inaugural member of the Atlanta Youth Commission. Her civic awards include Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Class of 2021 40 Under Forty Award, Ebony Magazine’s Educate Young Minds Award, and Root Magazine’s Top 100 Emerging Leaders.
Jessica has lived in Southwest Atlanta for the last fifteen years, and she and her fiancé Kenneth enjoy exploring the Cascade Springs Nature Reserve in their free time.