Women in Business 2021: Elizabeth Johnson, Post University
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As provost of Post University, Elizabeth Johnson leads the academic affairs initiatives and strategy focused on ensuring the quality and effectiveness of the teaching and learning offered to 1,000 main campus students and 14,000 online students. In the past five years, she has overseen the implementation of 10 new academic programs, earned two new programmatic accreditations (NAEYC and CCNE), deployed a quality-assurance process for the university’s online course design and instruction and greatly increased cross-departmental collaboration to build out a meaningful and personal student experience from enrollment to graduation.
What’s been your biggest professional accomplishment so far?
In the past five years, Post has increased enrollments from 6,000 to 15,000 students. This means we are providing 15,000 students - most of whom are adults with competing priorities - with the opportunity to learn, grow and change their lives through education. Leading the academic initiatives that supported that growth is one of my greatest points of pride.
What’s the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally?
I am in the process of collaboratively designing a new School of Continuing Education. This school will offer non-credit courses and certificates that reflect community needs and industry trends in professional upskilling. My next big goal is designing this school to support yet another student population - those looking to prepare themselves for the next opportunity in all levels of the workforce.
What’s one of the biggest professional challenges you’ve overcome?
Work. Life. Balance. I have never encountered a challenge so difficult. I would not say I have overcome it, but I have found a routine that ensures both my work and home life have my undivided attention during certain times of the day. And most importantly, that my family knows that they will always come first.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic forced you to adapt as a leader?
Since working remotely precludes water-cooler conversations, the pandemic has forced me to become a better communicator. I check in more frequently with my team, and those check-ins often extend beyond work topics and into personal concerns. Even though we do not see each other, I am as close as ever with my team.
What do you like to do outside of work?
My happy place is 60 feet deep in the tropical waters of the Caribbean! The only sound is my breathing and diverse, playful schools of fish replenish my senses. It is where I find peace and tranquility in my crazy life. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it is the one place where my phone doesn’t ring!
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