Amber Johnson Named Associate Provost in SLU’s Division for Diversity and Community Engagement
Saint Louis University has announced that Amber Johnson, Ph.D., (A&S ’01, Grad A&S ’03), associate professor of communication, has been appointed associate provost in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, a new leadership role at the University. Johnson’s tenure in the position officially begins July 1.
Johnson is the co-founder of SLU’s Institute for Healing Justice and Equity, which seeks to eliminate disparities in individual and community health and well-being caused by systemic oppression, through research, training, community engagement and policy change. The institute is the first of its kind at a Jesuit institution.
Johnson also created Justice Fleet, a mobile, social justice museum that fosters communal healing through art, dialogue, and play. The initiative has received financial support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the St. Louis Regional Racial Healing + Justice Fund.
“Dr. Johnson brings extraordinary scholarship and operational experience to the interlocking issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and community engagement,” said University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., and University Provost Michael Lewis, Ph.D., in a joint announcement to the SLU community. “Among Dr. Johnson’s many strengths are an impressive publication record and a deep commitment to marginalized communities.”
Johnson has earned numerous awards and honors, most recently the 2020 Dr. Terry Leet Researcher Award from Generate Health St. Louis, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing racial equity in maternal and infant health.
Before joining SLU’s faculty in 2015, Johnson served as an assistant professor at the Institute for Shipboard Education and Prairie View A&M University; a visiting assistant professor at Loyola Marymount University; and a lecturer at California State University, Long Beach.
Johnson earned a doctorate from the Pennsylvania State University in 2006, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in communication from SLU in 2003 and 2001 respectively.