Alumni Story
Gloria Johnston, PhD
Dr. Gloria Johnston has devoted over 40 years to a career in education and has been an invited speaker at local, state, and national conferences.
Dr. Johnston currently coaches, mentors, and provides professional development for superintendents, school boards, and central office administrators. The focus of her work is on systemic strategies that lead to improving student achievement and closing the achievement gap. Her years of service in pre-kindergarten through university included roles as a teacher, principal, central office administrator, university dean, and superintendent of schools (for 13 years). She worked in urban, suburban, and rural school districts in Illinois, California, and Caracas, Venezuela.
Throughout her career, Dr. Johnston has been an invited speaker at local, state, and national professional conferences, served on state and national educational and research panels and committees, and been awarded major professional development grants. She has served on community boards, supported civic groups, and currently facilitates and participates in several superintendent professional organizations. She is coauthor of three books, Eight at the Top: A View Inside public Education, a collection of stories about the work of school district superintendents. Effective Superintendent-School Board Practices: Strategies for Developing and Maintaining Good Relationships With Your Board, a practical, experience-based look at the most important role the superintendent has in leading a school district, and The Superintendent’s Planner: A Monthly Guide and Reflective Journal, a yearlong look at the work of the superintendent in managing the day-to-day operations of the school district.
Dr. Johnston earned her PhD in public policy analysis from the University of Illinois at Chicago, her MS in multilingual/multicultural education and BS in education (magna cum laude) from Northern Illinois University, and her AA from Elgin Community College. She currently lives in San Diego, California, Close to her two children, three grandchildren, and the beach.