BREAKING NEW GROUND With purpose and innovation, Aleesia Tolliver Johnson ’99 heads the largest school district in Indiana. By Jennifer Jiles
hen many new college graduates are recruited to work for a top global information technology company, the opportunity is a dream come true. The recruitment process is highly competitive, and few are chosen to come aboard. Upon her graduation from Agnes Scott College, Aleesia Tolliver Johnson ’99 was one of these selected few, winning a coveted position at IBM, one of the most recognized brands in the world. A year later, despite the company being a great place to begin her career, Johnson resigned to pursue a different purpose. “I quickly determined a job in private industry was not for me,” Johnson says. “It was not my calling 18
and not the way I could best contribute to the world and my community. In my family, we have always placed a high priority on education and service. I wanted to pursue a career that would give me an opportunity to give my time and energies to both.” It was a decision that would change her life and set her on a new course professionally. After her epiphany at IBM, Johnson, who comes from a long line of educators and civil rights advocates, enrolled in graduate school. She earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan in 2001 and went on to work as a Teach For America corps member, teaching at a middle school in Paterson,
New Jersey. As she continued to build a career in education, she received a master’s degree in teaching in 2007 from Oakland City University. Johnson moved up the ladder at Teach For America and then at Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) Indy, serving as program director, assistant school leader and school leader, among other positions. Later, she held roles at Indianapolis Public Schools as innovation officer and deputy superintendent for academics. Johnson made history when she became the first AfricanAmerican woman to lead the Indianapolis school district, first as the interim leader and then being named permanently in July 2019.
