*Dr. Johnson will start the BES Fellowship in January 2027. BES Fellows have differentiated start dates to accommodate for varied authorizer timelines.
“My why for founding a school is deeply rooted in the fact that education fundamentally changed the trajectory of my life. I want to found a school that calls students to a higher plateau of both humanity and humanities. I want to found a school that redefines what excellence looks like when it is not divorced from the reality of the world in which we live.”
Dr. LaTrina M. Johnson grew up in Montezuma, GA, where her family has been for four generations and counting. She attended Macon County schools from daycare until graduating high school. As an outspoken young Black girl, she credits her teachers who exposed her to the world through literacy and demanded excellence while also fostering audacity in her. Looking back, she realized that their bar for both her and her classmates was high because it had to be—foreseeing the challenges that they would undoubtedly face coming from the rural South.
Dr. Johnson’s commitment to educational leadership is rooted in and inspired by the rich history of institution-building in her community. From Lumpkin Academy (founded 1886) to her alma mater (established 1897 by a student of Booker T. Washington) to D.F. Douglass Elementary and High School (1958-1998), these schools showed generations of people in her small town inspired by what’s possible for students. This legacy shaped her own education and that of her family members, establishing a pattern of visionary leadership across generations.
Through her career, Dr. Johnson has held various roles in the classroom and in school and systems leadership. She was an English teacher at KIPP Delta Public Schools (Helena, AR), before becoming Grade Level Chair. At RePublic Schools (Nashville, TN) she was Dean of Students at the Nashville Academy of Computer Science and Instructional Dean for Humanities at RePublic High School, promoted to Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and eventually became the first Black principal to lead Republic High School. During COVID-19, the school averaged over 80% daily synchronous attendance and rose to 93% during state testing. It was also the only RePublic Nashville school to exhibit NWEA MAP growth in both subjects. Under her leadership, the school was later officially removed from Tennessee’s “Additional Targeted Support and Improvement” list.
Dr. Johnson later joined STEM Preparatory Academy (Nashville, TN) where she served as the inaugural Director of DEI, Deputy Chief of Schools and most recently Deputy Chief of Strategic Initiatives. In 2024, STEM Prep Academy and STEM Prep High schools were awarded Level 5 in Growth—up from Level 3 and Level 1, respectively. Both schools were also successfully reauthorized in 2023 for ten years under her leadership.
Dr. Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Voorhees College, her master’s degree in Sociology from Valdosta State University, and her Doctor of Education Policy and Leadership from American University.
