Dr. Don Johnson joined the Department of Educational Administration in the fall of 2022 as an assistant professor of practice. Dr. Johnson earned his bachelor of science at Kearney State College, and master’s in educational administration and EdD from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He served as industrial arts and physical education teacher for Waterloo (NE) Public Schools, and as industrial arts and biology teacher and alternative school principal for the Heartland Educational Center in Omaha. Following those assignments, Dr. Johnson served for twenty years as secondary school principal at the Fort Calhoun Public Schools before serving as superintendent from 2010-2020.

While at Fort Calhoun, the district became one of the first rural schools to establish dual enrollment courses with Metro Community College, implemented individualized learning plans for every student, and launched the first 1:1 iPad program in Nebraska. Dr. Johnson also led an assessment of faculty awareness and attitudes around issues of diversity, marginalization, and inequity and launched a district initiative to provide sensitivity training and professional learning on mental health. Dr. Johnson has also previously served as a temporary instructor for the educational leadership program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and since retirement, served as the director of the Fort Calhoun Community Schools Foundation. Dr. Johnson comes to EDAD with and great passion for school leadership and mentoring and shared that this type of role has been a long time goal.

Areas of Expertise

• Superintendency
• School Leadership
• Mentoring in P-12 schools