Editor’s Note: Three weeks ago, we announced the four new inductees into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame. We wanted to do a little extra to celebrate these women, so we plan to feature each honoree and show why they are “Iowa Females You Should Know.” Miss last week? Read about Linda Neuman and Joyce Chapman.

 

Michelle Johnson, a 2015 inductee into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame, is the superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy, a four-year undergraduate institution of nearly 4,000 students that graduates officers ready to lead in the United States Air Force. In her role as superintendent, she serves as both college president and military installation commander, overseeing a rigorous program of military training, academics, athletics and character development. She is originally from Spencer. 

 

Her path to leadership

 

Prior to her job today, Johnson served as an airlift and tanker pilot, worked as an assistant professor in the political science department at the Air Force Academy, and held a variety of senior military executive jobs.

 

She worked as deputy director for information and cyberspace policy and was the deputy chief of staff, operations and intelligence for the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). She also served as the director of public affairs for the Air Force and as an aide to both President George H.W. Bush and President Bill Clinton.

 

Connection points

 

Johnson was a distinguished graduate from the United States Air Force Academy in 1981, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in operation research. She attended Brasenose College at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, earning a Masters of Arts in politics and economics. In 2014, she was named an Honorary Fellow for Brasenose College. She holds a Master of Science degree in national security strategy from the National War College in Washington, D.C.

 

She has attended multiple senior executive programs, including both the Senior Executive Fellows program and the Seminar for New Presidents at Harvard University, the Fellows Seminar on Foreign Politics, International Relations and the National Interest at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the National Security Management program at Syracuse University. In 1995, Lt. Gen. Johnson was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-American Hall of Fame.  

 

Contact her

Find her on LinkedIn and Twitter or contact her via email.

 

Nominate a woman:

Do you know a woman who should be featured in this section? We’re always accepting nominations for the “Iowa Females You Should Know” section. Submit a nomination >>