Dr. Bryan Johnson is the superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools in Georgia. Serving approximately 50,000 students across 87 learning sites, he brings extensive experience in educational leadership, workforce development, business strategy, change management and collaborative leadership.

Prior to this role, Johnson served as the executive vice chancellor and chief strategy officer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. There, he provided critical counsel as the university completed its current strategic plan and led the development and execution of the 2025-2030 strategic plan.

Nearly two decades of Dr. Johnson’s career has been dedicated to public education, serving as a teacher, school administrator and district administrator in Hamilton County Schools and Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, respectively. During his tenure at Hamilton, the district saw historic levels of improvement, going from 130th to second in the state for student academic growth, making it the fastest-improving district in Tennessee. The district also reached the state’s highest level for student academic growth in all areas for two consecutive years, the second of which was during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other notable gains include increasing the number of Reward Schools, or those earning the state’s highest distinction, from five to 32; increasing student scholarship dollars earned from $20 million to more than $120 million; and increasing achievement for high school-assessed subjects by 7 percent or more. During the pandemic, Dr. Johnson worked with community leaders and the school board to launch a 10-year commitment to close the digital divide by providing free high-speed internet to all 28,500 economically-disadvantaged students in Hamilton County.

In the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, he rose to the position of chief academic officer, and under his leadership, the district was ranked number one for student academic growth for two consecutive years.

Dr. Johnson has received numerous accolades for his leadership including being named the 2021 Tennessee Superintendent of the Year by the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents,  a National Superintendent of the Year finalist, a Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association, and recognized a 2020 Outstanding Young Alumnus by Austin Peay State University. He serves on numerous boards and is actively engaged in the Chattanooga community.

He earned his bachelor’s in business administration from Austin Peay State University, a master’s in special education and teaching from Belmont University and his doctorate in educational leadership from Trevecca University.