Michael G. Johnson Appointed President & CEO
of Harlem Educational Activities Fund
Passionate, Impactful, Results-Oriented Executive with Public, Corporate and Nonprofit Experience Whose Drive for Equitable Education Reflects HEAF’s Mission to Provide Academic Enrichment, Personal Growth and College Prep for Promising Youth in New York City
Harlem, New York – July 27, 2022 – Harlem Educational Activities Fund (HEAF), the nonprofit college access program that opens doors to college and meaningful careers for students from underserved communities across New York City, today announced that Michael G. Johnson has been appointed President & CEO, effective August 1, 2022. Mr. Johnson will be responsible for end-to-end leadership of the organization, from setting the vision to direct oversight of day-to-day education program execution, development, and operations.
Mr. Johnson brings to HEAF a proven record of developing and driving impactful programs that yield results. He has held leadership positions in economic development, corporate philanthropy and public administration, and for more than 25 years has made it his personal mission to leverage his successes to help lift the next generation. He is a recipient of MIT’s prestigious MLK Leadership Award for exceptional service to communities of color.
“We are thrilled to welcome Michael to Harlem Educational Activities Fund,” said Karla Maloof, Chair, HEAF Board of Directors. “His deep expertise across government, philanthropy, nonprofit and education coupled with his vision for equitable academic opportunity and his drive to help New York City’s youth overcome obstacles to achieve their goals and dreams, uniquely position him to lead HEAF into the future.”
“I am excited to join Harlem Educational Activities Fund,” said Michael G. Johnson, newly appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, HEAF. “I am passionate about fair and equal access to education and opportunity, and I think HEAF students are among the most promising and deserving in New York City. Growing up in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, and the Queens neighborhoods of Hollis and Jamaica, I am keenly aware of the inequities and obstacles faced by students from underserved communities. My career has been dedicated to opening doors for progress and change, and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get started.”
Mr. Johnson will succeed interim President & CEO Fern Khan, an 18-year trustee of HEAF and Dean Emerita, Division of Continuing Education, Bank Street College of Education. Ms. Khan will remain an active member of HEAF’s Board of Directors.
“Michael’s passion for helping young people thrive has been evident since the earliest points in his professional career, from volunteering and serving as a mentor to his active engagement with institutions such as CUNY and MIT,” said HEAF Board Member Fern Khan. “I am proud of all that HEAF has accomplished and I know Michael will be critical to the future success of HEAF’s students, especially at this watershed moment where we as educators, employers and leaders must acknowledge and address the persistence of inequity in education and in business, and we must push for change.”
Mr. Johnson joins HEAF from The Community Builders (TCB), a nationally recognized nonprofit focused on affordable and mixed-income residential and commercial properties, where he served as Director of Community Life, responsible for TCB’s place-based model that provides stable housing and builds partnerships as platforms for residents and neighborhoods to achieve success. Prior to that, Mr. Johnson was Vice President, Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where he led the Community Development portfolio for the New York Metropolitan area, and a national portfolio involving seed capital and data driven solutions for neighborhoods through Partnership for Raising Opportunities (PRO) Neighborhoods. The company is a global leader in corporate philanthropy with more than $275 million invested in communities annually.
Prior to JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mr. Johnson was Chief of Staff to the General Manager and Director of Customer Operations at the New York City Housing Authority. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles in both New York City and Newark, New Jersey focused on creating economic opportunities and growth, while improving the quality of life for children and families in neighborhoods.
Mr. Johnson holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from the CUNY Graduate Center, a Master in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia.
Mr. Johnson and his wife Kenya reside in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood with their three children, Jared, Jeremiah and Tirzah.
About HEAF:
Harlem Educational Activities Fund (HEAF) is a high-impact supplemental education and youth leadership nonprofit that helps motivated New York City public school students from underserved communities become high-achieving college graduates. HEAF makes an 11-year commitment to students beginning in sixth grade – the fully-funded scholarship college access and career exposure program provides academic enrichment, personal development, career exposure, college prep and more. At HEAF, college is the rule. 100% of HEAF students graduate from high school and are accepted into college. For more information about HEAF visit http://www.heaf.org and follow us on LinkedIn at @HEAF, Inc., on Instagram at @HEAFNYC, on Facebook @HEAFNYC, and on Twitter at @HEAFNYC.