he glows

By Lindsey Sharp | Photo by Leaha Meinika

Riley Johnson: lover of Fort Wayne, relationship-builder, and Director of Fort Wayne Community Schools’ Amp Lab at Electric Works.

Johnson grew up just north of Fort Wayne, attending Leo Jr./Sr. High School. “Growing up in Allen County, as a teenager, you have the classic ‘Fort Wayne is Fort Wayne’ mentality, but I don’t think I ever had a dislike of what I thought Fort Wayne was,” he said. “So, when I graduated from Ball State, I knew I wanted to do my student teaching here. And I think that once I did that, it established some roots, and then even as I looked at potential other opportunities, it always just felt right and made sense to call Fort Wayne home.”

And Johnson’s gone above and beyond to call Fort Wayne just that, serving our community especially our youth well along the way.

Johnson, his wife Sara, and sons Cael and Kai love to travel and are huge lovers of their ‘05 neighborhood. Johnson serves as a board member for Believe in a Dream and serves with Greater Fort Wayne Campus Ministry at Purdue Fort Wayne.

The most recent way he’s pouring into our community? Through his role as Director of the Fort Wayne Community Schools’ Amp Lab at Electric Works. The Amp Lab is a unique learning environment built for 400 11th and 12th graders of diverse backgrounds to gain realworld experience in an innovative and agile setting. While there are programs comparable to this in other places in the country, Amp Lab’s setup is intentionally tailored to our community, its students, and the needs of the present day there’s not one of its kind in Indiana or in a local context. Here, you’ll find open-concept rooms jam-packed with resources, tools, and students actively collaborating on how to solve real-world problems for real-world, local partners. From circuit boards to a woodshop to recording studios to a full-fledged greenhouse, Amp Lab offers opportunities and resources to develop countless skill sets.

“Amp Lab fills the gap for the curious,” Johnson said. “What we’ve tried to really say is outcome-wise we’re focusing on skills, relationships, and experiences. So if every kid who comes here gets those things, they’re getting the skills and tools to contribute.”

Johnson has spent his career in the education field, spending much of his time in innovative public school environments, working at various institutions, including New Tech Academy at Wayne High School, another New Tech Academy in California, and Anthis Career Center.

“Really, the second we decided to move back to Fort Wayne, this was it for me I very much made some career sacrifices to try to position myself to have an opportunity in this fun little guinea pig [and worked to be the best candidate for this job],” Johnson said.

“I’m so blessed to be a part of this,” he said. “What students are doing here has started to challenge our community on how we should engage the future of our city. I am beyond excited for the future.” a

Want to nominate someone for He Glows? Email Amber at ambouthot@the-papers.com.