Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education to speak at Livingstone

Dr. Henry L. Johnson, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for Elementary and Secondary Education, will be the keynote speaker at an American Education Week celebration Wednesday at Livingstone College.

The celebration will be held at 11 a.m. in Varick Auditorium. The theme for this year's celebration, sponsored by the college's Education Department, is "Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility." This reflects the department's vision that solicits the support of all Americans to do their share in making public schools great for every child so all can grow up and achieve in the 21st Century.

Johnson grew up in Salisbury, graduating from Price High School in 1964 and Livingstone College with a bachelor of science degree in biology in 1968. He earned a master's in science education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975 and a Ph.D. in school administration from N.C. State University in 1990.

He has a wealth of experience with more than 30 years of service as a classroom teacher, local administrator, state superintendent of education and national assistant secretary of education. Johnson has also served as Mississippi's State Superintendent of Education and associate superintendent for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

Inducted to the Livingstone Hall of Fame in 2002, Johnson has received many other honors, including Distinguished Alumni Awards from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2006 and N.C. State in 1994; a N.C. Association for Gifted and Talented Service Award in 1996; a Livingstone College Presidential Citation in 1999; an Institute for Educational Leadership National Service Award in 2003; The Association for the Gifted National Leadership Award in 2006; and the N.C. State Board of Education Leadership Award for Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps Program in 2006.

Johnson is now senior advisor on B&D Consulting's education team. He offers innovative approaches and strategies to help educational systems achieve and sustain improvements in student and school performances. He also has expertise in the No Child Left Behind program, teacher quality and other education issues.