R. Marc Johnson

Education: B.A., The College of William & Mary; M.B.A., M.Ed., University of Virginia; Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania

R. Marc Johnson (EMBA ’13) is a lecturer at the Darden School of Business, teaching courses in global business and strategy and leading courses for MBA, EMBA and PTMBA students around the world.

Johnson currently serves as vice president for strategic initiatives in the UVA Office of the President. In this role he is responsible for university institutional strategic planning, advancing presidential priorities, and providing strategic analysis and insights. Previously, Johnson served as senior associate dean for student engagement and chief strategy and innovation officer at the Darden School of Business.

In his prior roles at Darden, Johnson led strategic planning and innovation initiatives across Darden. In this role he provided leadership for Strategic IT and the Centers of Excellence; during this time he partnered with the Dean and academic leadership to launch the LaCross Institute for Ethical AI in Business. Johnson also led student engagement, convening the Darden Student Success Group, comprised of leaders in the areas of admissions, career development, student engagement, program operations, student registration, financial aid, global programs, instructional design, and community connection. He partnered with student leadership to promote student self-governance, impact, and collaboration. He also led globalization initiatives, expanding global learning offerings and building out advisory and representative support in China and India.

Johnson has also taught international business in UVA’s undergraduate interdisciplinary studies program and previously taught courses in leadership for the Sorensen Institute. He has taught courses in entrepreneurship and nonprofit management. He is the co-author of several entrepreneurship case studies through Darden Business Publishing.

Johnson holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in higher education management, publishing his dissertation on advanced degrees and social mobility in the United States. Johnson holds a master’s in education from the UVA School of Education and Human Development and an MBA from the UVA Darden School, where he received the C. Stewart Sheppard Award for service and the Faculty Award for Academic Excellence. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the College of William & Mary with a bachelor’s degree in government, receiving the James Frederic Carr memorial cup for character, scholarship, and leadership at graduation.