Dean of Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management and the Bruce D. Henderson Professor of Strategy

Johnson oversees Vanderbilt’s six graduate business degree programs involving 700 students, faculty, and staff.  He also anchors a video series on business and blogs on leadership.  Previously he served as Associate Dean for the MBA program at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business, where he was also Faculty Director of the Center for Digital Strategies.

His teaching and research focuses on digital strategies and impact of information technology on the extended enterprise.  Through grants from the National Science Foundation, Johnson studies how information technology improves process execution, but also how security failures create friction. He is currently focused on the role of information technology to improve healthcare quality and reduce cost.  He has authored patents on interface design and has testified before the U.S. Congress on information risk.  

In addition to his academic research, Johnson has consulted with global companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, Nike and Accenture. His writing and expert commentary have been featured in global media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, and Bloomberg News. He was previously employed by Hewlett-Packard Co., General Motors, and Systems Modeling Corp.  

Johnson has served on numerous editorial boards including Electronic Markets, Interfaces, Management Science, and Operations Research.  He is currently serving on the boards of Nashville Capital Network and Bitsight Inc. (Advisory) and previously served on boards at Nashville Healthcare Council, Evant Inc. (sold to Manhattan Associate), Dartmouth Regional Technology Center, and INFORMS.

He holds a B.S. in Economics, B.S. in Engineering, M.S. in Engineering from Penn State University, and a Ph.D. in Engineering from Stanford University. He and his wife Nancy have been married for 30 years and have three children.