Marva Johnson's Bio

Marva Johnson, J.D., MBA, is the thirteenth president of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) and a tenured Professor in the University’s College of Law. President Johnson assumed the presidency on August 1, 2025, as a distinguished leader in business, legislative affairs, and public education policy. 

In 2014, she was appointed to the Florida State Board of Education and elected chair in 2015. During her tenure, she championed policies aimed at improving educational outcomes for all students, playing a vital role in implementing performance-based funding measures to encourage state colleges to improve student success metrics, including graduation rates. Johnson also worked to enhance accountability across the state’s colleges, with a focus on closing achievement gaps and ensuring that all students had access to high-quality, low-cost education options.

President Johnson holds the distinction of serving as a member of Florida’s 2018 Constitution Revision Commission and chair of the Education Committee. Her leadership in education reform has consistently focused on creating pathways to education excellence for students of all backgrounds.

Before assuming the presidency, Johnson served as Group Vice President of State Government Affairs for Charter Communications. In this role, she focused on expanding broadband access, particularly in underserved communities, and oversaw state government affairs, regulatory and local franchising matters, state legislative issues, and strategic partnerships. She also led government and community initiatives across nine southern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

President Johnson is deeply committed to community service. She has served on the boards of several organizations focused on providing educational opportunities to youth, including the Florida Virtual School and Pace Center for Girls, where she actively serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees. Additionally, she serves as a mentor and provides leadership development through several local, state, and national organizations. She has received many accolades and was recently recognized by Florida Trend magazine as one of the Top 500 Most Influential People in Florida.

President Johnson earned her Juris Doctor from the Georgia State University College of Law. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Georgetown University.

She is a wife, mother, and a proud member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.