Janice Johnston 88 Named

Janice Johnston ’88

• Executive Producer, 20/20 • J.D. University of Virginia • A.B. Princeton University

important skills when you’re learning to navigate the French Club, the lacrosse field, or the Ensemble,” she said. “Having opportunities to find your voice early in life, is fundamental to future leadership.”

She also pointed to listening as another skill she learned to hone at an early age thanks to her Friends education. “I am always careful to obtain feedback, buy-in, and thoughts from all team members to provide an environment in which anyone can speak to the wider group,” said Janice. “I really want to encourage all of the team to contribute and be leaders.”

There was much publicity surrounding Janice becoming the first female and person of color in this role at ABC News. She was quick to credit Good Morning America as providing the nurturing environment necessary for her to grow into leadership positions in the broadcast industry: “I’ve been doing this for 22 years and I was lucky to have at GMA examples of female leadership which 20 years ago was an anomaly. It was very obvious that there were very few of them...and even more obvious that there were even fewer people of color.” Now as she finds herself in the upper echelon of the industry, she is cognizant of the weight of her leadership role and still leans on the wisdom of her own role models. “My mentors do not have a unifying gender or race and that is something I try to encourage my team to look for,” said Janice. “Teachers can be people who look like you or they could have nothing in common with you. Too many people are not as open to that as they should be or realize that sometimes. Some of the people who have been the most influential to me, I have very little in common with on a surface level.” Looking back at her time at MFS, Janice, who was “very into Spanish and French” recalls the strength of the world languages faculty, particularly former teachers Edward Farraday, Stephanie Hockensmith, and Barbara Pierfy Nusbaum. She also greatly enjoyed her six years in Ensemble and appreciated the instruction and leadership of former Music Teacher Davie Wiener.

Janice was thankful for the help of former History Teacher Margaret Barnes Mansfield in helping her adjust to her new school. “She was a good champion of mine in my days as a new student,” said Janice. “I remember her kindnesses.” Janice also stays in touch with former Upper School Director, College Guidance Counselor, and English Department Chair Mary Williams who she referred to as a “long-time favorite.”

As Janice tackles the challenges of the pandemic for 20/20, her experiences on the MFS School Committee have proved helpful. “As a trustee, I am always picking up something that the school is doing and thinking about how it applies to our show,”

Photo courtesy of ABC News

Photo courtesy of ABC News

Janice Johnston in the control room and with colleagues Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer.

she said. In particular, she is proud of the way the school has managed the pandemic. “How MFS has navigated through these COVID times has been really impressive to me,” said Janice. “There are lots of wonderful takeaways to be found in the way the school is handling the stress and constant changing of the situation while being adaptive.” 20/20 can be viewed on ABC on Friday evenings at 9 p.m. and on HULU anytime.

30 Under 30

MFS graduates are everywhere, near and far.

In the forthcoming pages you’ll read about 30 alumni from the Classes of 2008 to 2017, who are a representative sample of the nearly 900 graduates of the school during those years. Their ages range from 30 and just over to as young as 22. As these profiles show, they have learned to be brave and thoughtful leaders, who speak their conscience, take initiative, create opportunities, and find ways to build up individuals while building a better community.

Thanks to their MFS experiences which have been infused with Quaker values, a sense of stewardship compels our students and alumni to think about the allocation of resources, to respect the world in which we live, and to weigh questions of fairness. These alumni, and hundreds more around the world, seize their chances and make the most of their talents, advantages, and strengths – and grow into people who live lives that speak.