MEET THE NEW PRESIDENT of the College of Coastal Georgia by Tiffany King
D
uring the hot summer months in Starkville, Mississippi, a young Michelle Johnston could be found in her room with a chalkboard and chalk in hand teaching a classroom of imaginary students their ABCs and 123s. “I love the educational process. Although I’m no longer in the classroom, being a part of a community of learners makes me happy,” Johnston said. “It’s my happy place.” Even at a young age, she knew education would play an important role in life, but her journey to becoming the new president of the College of Coastal Georgia was something she didn’t expect. In May, Johnston was named the sixth president of the college. She previously served as president of the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College in Ohio. Johnston’s career includes 10 years as a faculty member and more than 20 years in administration, with positions at the University of Montevallo, University of Louisiana-Monroe, Mississippi State University, and Wood College. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama, a master’s degree from Louisiana State University, a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Mississippi State University, and a post-doctorate in marketing and management from the University of Florida. Michelle grew up as the youngest of three children in a close-knit family who raised sheep on a small farm in the quaint town of Starkville. “It was a small town but there’s a university there [Mississippi State], so I would spend time on campus from the earliest I can remember. Being on campus was like being on
any other street in town. You felt like it was part of the whole community,” Johnston said. She was exposed to the arts and culture through activities hosted by the university for the public. “That was part of my childhood, having this dichotomy of being on a small family farm and having access to arts and culture and great music.” “My family was one where we spent a lot of time reading and doing things together,” Johnston explained. “We didn’t have cable television in my family growing up. We spent a lot of time taking care of our animals and being outdoors.” As a child, a trip to the beach was a vacation to the Gulf Coast or a variety of inland destinations. “We would go hiking in the Smoky Mountains and I would go camping and backpacking. It was a great childhood.” Now, Johnston has daughters of her own, who are both in college. Johnston attended University of Alabama as a piano performance major. Her grandmother first introduced her to the piano when she was three years old. “I think the sound of the piano, the responsiveness and the touch captivated me at that young, impressionable age,” she said. Johnston started taking formal piano lessons in the third grade. As her playing progressed, she realized she could combine her desire to teach with her love of performing. “Thinking about teaching transformed into ‘I want to be a college music professor,’ so I could teach and perform. It was the best of both worlds,” she said. “When I finished my master’s degree, I went into a faculty position. I was able to per-
Dr. Michelle Johnston
form and teach college students. It was like my dream had come true, and honestly I thought that was what I would do forever.” During her time as a faculty member, Johnston was given opportunities for leadership roles that she found rewarding. She enjoyed working with people in different ways to promote higher education and motivate students towards success. When Johnston started a doctoral program, she had to make a decision as to which subject to pursue: music or higher education administration. She chose educational leadership with a concentration in higher education. From that point on, unbeknownst to her, she was on the track towards becoming a college president. While other people in her program wanted to become college presidents, she was satisfied with being either a vice president or provost. “At that time, I didn’t even see where it was going to go. One thing leads to another and life takes us to different places. I had been a vice president at the University of Montevallo, and I was doing that for a little over seven years. Then the opportunity came up to be president at Rio Grande,” she said. (continues)
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