(Source: Tallahassee Democrats)
By Tarah Jean
Many who most recently became aware of Marva Johnson – a lawyer and corporate lobbyist who has been named Florida A&M University’s 13th president – know of her professional and political background, which has drawn a high level of opposition from within the FAMU community.
But those who have had the chance to know Johnson first-hand either in a work setting say she’s well equipped to take the helm of the HBCU (historically Black college or university) on Aug. 1, which is her scheduled start date.
This includes Yolanda Sharpe, a childhood friend of Johnson’s: “Marva and I were pretty much attached to the hip from seventh grade until we graduated from high school,” Sharpe, a 55-year-old Tampa native, told the Tallahassee Democrat. The University of Florida alumna has worked in property management, government compliance and real estate over the last 30 years.
“It doesn’t surprise me one bit that she’s made it this far,” Sharpe said. “I’ve always known that she’d be highly successful. She’s super disciplined. She’s self-motivated, and her work ethic was unbelievable from the start. She’s always been this way.”
She says Johnson was the type of kid who would sit front row and center in class. Still close-knit, the childhood friends have been maid and matron of honor at each other’s weddings.
“I always tell her she’s my Oprah and I’m her Gayle, because I always knew she’d do big things,” Sharpe said, describing Johnson as a leader.
Sharpe also described Johnson as special, admirable, principled and courageous – especially after watching her endure FAMU’s contentious presidential search process.
During a heated community and alumni session in FAMU’s Grand Ballroom that concluded Johnson’s May 14 campus visit, Sharpe sat in support of her childhood friend as individuals who strongly opposed her presidential candidacy voiced their dissatisfaction while grilling her for having “MAGA” ties.
“As her friend, that was really hard to watch, but I saw her stand strong,” Sharpe said. “I was really proud of that. I hope that when everyone takes a breath, they’ll see her for who she really is.”
“The level of excellence that she brings and expects from folks around her, I know she’ll bring that same mentality to FAMU,” she added. “I think FAMU is going to be better off with her there. I would never bet against her.”
More on Johnson: Q&A with Florida A&M’s new leader Marva Johnson: On path to presidency, pushback and plans
FAMU President Johnson’s upbringing, ambitious drive
Johnson – former group vice president for Charter Communications – was confirmed to be FAMU’s new Rattler-in-chief by the Florida Board of Governors June 18 despite opposition from many in the FAMU community and some trustees.
Many view her ascension as the latest example of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ hard-right overhaul of the Sunshine State’s higher education landscape, which played a key role in her shaky path to the presidency.
Election records show her mostly as a registered Republican over the past two decades. At one point in Georgia she had no party affiliation.
A Tampa Bay native now based in Winter Garden, Johnson earned her bachelor’s in business administration from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., her master’s in business administration from Emory University in Atlanta, and her juris doctor from Georgia State University’s College of Law.
“For me, it wasn’t a matter of whether I would eventually have a career in higher ed,” Johnson said in a previous interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. “It was more of a question of when and what that opportunity would look like.”
While working at Charter Communications, a major internet and cable TV company that operates under the Spectrum brand name and has offices in Orlando, Johnson was responsible for overseeing state government affairs, state legislative matters and strategic partnerships.
The company recently finalized a merger agreement with Cox Communications, valued at $34.5 billion. Attempts to get comments from a Charter Communications representative on Johnson’s contribution were unsuccessful.
Johnson is also a former chair of the Florida Board of Education. She was appointed by former Gov. Rick Scott in 2014 and named chair in 2015, serving for four years. Through the role, she helped implement the State University System’s performance-based funding metrics, which measure and financially incentivize institutions for student success based on different standards.
As a fellow higher education leader, Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega − who once was Tallahassee Community College’s executive vice president and provost − said she’s thrilled to see Johnson selected to lead FAMU.
Before the TCC role, Pumariega worked with Johnson while serving as the first female and Hispanic chancellor of the Florida College System in 2015, holding the position for three years.
“Her vision, integrity and executive experience make her an outstanding choice,” Pumariega said in a statement sent to the Democrat. “As former chair of the Florida State Board of Education, Marva championed innovation and student success, leaving a lasting mark on our state’s educational landscape. I had the privilege of working closely with her and know firsthand her unwavering commitment to excellence and access in higher education.”
Madeline Pumariega is the first female president of Miami Dade College.
Raised in Tampa, Johnson comes from a working-class family with both of her parents being from Blakely, Georgia – a small rural town about 80 miles northwest of Tallahassee. Statistics show that the racial composition of Blakely includes 73.6% Black or African American, 25.3% White, and smaller percentages for Asian and multiracial populations.
With Johnson’s father being a veteran who served in Vietnam, she was largely raised by her mother, who she says worked hard and made sacrifices for her family. Johnson is also the third of four children, and she grew up surrounded by three brothers.
“I often note that I was raised by wolves, being the only girl in a household full of boys,” Johnson told the Democrat. “Some of my most vivid memories are trying to keep up with them while they were climbing fences and playing outside. I would just keep falling and scarring up my legs, and they would have no problem. I realized one day that I kept falling mainly because I was in sandals and they were all in sneakers.”
“It actually taught me some things early on,” she added. “I learned how to fit in, but also how to stand out. I also learned that your success isn’t just about what your abilities are, but it’s also about being equipped with the right tools to put those skills to work.”
Florida A&M University President-Elect Marva Johnson holds a press conference to announce the University’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year Wednesday, July 2, 2025.
Years later, she has family of her own and is married to Stephen Johnson – partner of the Orlando-based executive recruiting firm Driscoll-Johnson Consulting, which specializes in diverse talent acquisition and corporate consulting. The couple has three adult children together. Stephen Johnson was not available for comment.
Although the Johnsons are empty nesters, she says they do still have another “child” – their dog Indigo, a 100-pound blue Weimaraner.
“As empty nesters, we don’t get to do all the activities we did when our children were young, but we do still have a very full and busy life,” Johnson said. “I spend a lot of my time on the weekends walking our dog, I try to get yoga in, weightlifting, I make it to Mass almost every weekend, and of course, I enjoy time with my husband, who’s an avid golfer.
“I love to ski whenever I get the chance, we love to spend time with family, and with two parents who are aging, I get to spend a lot of time on the weekends supporting them as well,” she added. She did not specify if she was referring to her own father and mother, or where they’re currently located.
As Johnson embarks on the role of being FAMU’s leader, the presidential responsibility becomes the newest challenge she will take on in her career, and it’s one she looks forward to.
“My ambitions are driven by opportunities to do big things,” Johnson said. “I am driven by opportunities to do things that are transformative and life changing and that don’t just impact me, but that also impact my community and society.”
Johnson’s supporters: ‘I think she is going to blow everyone away’
One of the individuals in Johnson’s corner who fully supports her selection to be FAMU’s next president is Jasper Hendricks III, a Nashville, Tennessee, native who works for the Democratic Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives. He also runs an organization called the Black Legislative Leaders Network, which works with all Black lawmakers.
He has worked with Johnson over the past five years and first met her at a conference in Memphis, Tennessee, while he served as executive director of the National Organization of Black Elective Legislative Women. He says Johnson has been a “big supporter” of the initiative as a member of the organization’s corporate roundtable.
“She talks to people and she listens, but I think the most important thing about her is that she has the ability to connect the dots and to make things happen,” Hendricks said.
Jasper Hendricks III poses for a portrait at his home in Brentwood, Tenn., Wednesday, July 26, 2017.
Other FAMU news: Marva Johnson makes brief public debut, touts ‘historic’ FAMU success in Florida budget
He described Johnson as a “business-oriented” individual who is “very passionate” about serving African American neighborhoods and communities, and that people connected with her as she understood their mission. She also worked with the organization to craft policies and bring awareness to broad-band internet issues in underserved areas.
Acknowledging that many people have felt skeptical about Johnson’s intentions as FAMU’s new president, he says he hopes they use that feeling to fuel the need for voter mobilization.
“If they’re afraid that she’s going to implement DeSantis’ plans – based on some of the things I’ve read – he leaves in 2026, so what are they going to do to replace him?” he said. “People may not necessarily know her, but I would recommend that they reach out, try to forge a bridge and give her an opportunity before assuming she’s coming in to do harm.”
Stephanie Smith, an FSU alumna and utilities lobbyist, has known Johnson since her time working as a public affairs director for AT&T in 2015. Johnson worked for Bright House Networks, a telecommunications company that was acquired by Charter Communications in 2016.
“As women of color in a male-dominated space, we just naturally gravitated to each other,” said Smith, 45, a Tallahassee native now based in Tampa. “It’s not like there’s a lot of us.”
Stephanie Smith, an FSU alumna and utilities lobbyist, also serves on the board for the Pace Center for Girls.
Although Smith and Johnson have never worked at the same company together, they both serve on the board for the Pace Center for Girls – a program for girls aged 12 to 18 who are at risk of entering the juvenile justice system or facing other challenges – which Johnson currently chairs.
“She is someone I have admired and look up to,” Smith said. “She has been a mentor to me as my career has progressed and as I’ve moved up the corporate ladder. From my experience, I see that she has a strong calling toward service and wants to make a difference. You can see that when you work with her.”
Stephanie Smith (third from right) and Marva Johnson (second from right) – who both serve as members on the board for PACE Center for Girls – and others attend PACE Day at the Capitol.
Erika Donalds – chair of America First Policy Institute’s Center for Education Opportunity – has known Johnson for about 10 years and shares the same sentiments as Smith and Hendricks regarding the new FAMU president’s passion for service, but through an education lens.
Donalds met Johnson while serving on the Collier County School Board during the same time Johnson was chair of the Florida Board of Education.
“She really understands what’s necessary in our education system, and of course, having experience being chair of the state board, overseeing the state college system,” said Donalds, 45, a Naples native.
She is the wife of U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, current frontrunner for the GOP nomination in the 2026 Florida governor’s race, in which he has been endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Byron Donalds also attended FAMU as an undergraduate before transferring to Florida State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing.
Erika Donalds, chair of America First Policy Institute’s Center for Education Opportunity.
While knowing Johnson for years, Donalds served with her on the 2017-18 Florida Constitution Revision Commission, where she worked closely with her on an education committee that Johnson chaired. FAMU Board of Trustees member Nicole Washington, who strongly supported Johnson’s candidacy, also served on that commission.
“I found Marva to be incredibly thoughtful and intelligent,” Donalds said. “She brought a perspective to the table from her experience as an executive in business that was very valuable to our process. I’m very excited about her being the president of FAMU.
“My husband went to FAMU for a little while, I went to school in Tallahassee, and we’re big supporters of HBCUs and want to see FAMU succeed.”
She says the FAMU community should be open to a nontraditional candidate for the president position and that they should “give her an opportunity” and “keep an open mind.”
“I think she is going to blow everyone away with her performance as president of FAMU, and I’m really looking forward to it,” Donalds said.
While Johnson’s first day in office as FAMU president is Aug. 1, she will get settled in and will ultimately move into the president’s house on campus − where interim President Timothy Beard currently lives − as students’ first day in the upcoming fall semester is Aug. 25.
