Dr. Bryan Johnson, a native of Nashville and proud product of public schools, serves as executive vice chancellor and chief strategy officer for the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. He previously served as chief of staff for U.S. Xpress where he leads a variety of strategic, multi-departmental initiatives. He began his career in education, serving as a teacher, school administrator, and district administrator. Dr. Johnson completed a successful tenure as superintendent of Hamilton County Schools in Tennessee, which serves 45,000 students across 78 schools. He holds degrees from Austin Peay State University, Belmont University, and Trevecca University, where he earned his doctorate in educational leadership. 

During Dr. Johnson’s tenure, Hamilton County Schools showed historic levels of improvement. In just three years, the district moved from 130th to 2nd in the state for student academic growth, making Hamilton County Schools the fastest improving school district in Tennessee. Some of the academic improvements include increasing the number of Reward Schools (state’s highest distinction) from 5 to 32, increasing scholarship dollars earned from $20 million to more than $120 million, and increases in achievement for all high school-assessed subjects by 7% or more. Additionally, Hamilton County Schools attained Level 5 status, which is the state’s highest level for student academic growth, in all areas for two consecutive years, with the second being during the pandemic.  

Dr. Johnson has received numerous accolades for his leadership, including being named one of four finalists for 2021 AASA National Superintendent of the Year, 2021 Tennessee Superintendent of the Year, and 2020 EdWeek Leader To Learn From. He was listed as a Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and Outstanding Young Alumnus at Austin Peay State University.