Dr. Arelia Johnson, Ph.D.
Dr. Arelia Johnson is a nationally recognized strategist, scholar-practitioner, speaker, and author whose work sits at the intersection of policy, justice, and lived experience. A proud daughter of Houston’s Sunnyside, she brings nearly three decades of community organizing and close to 20 years advancing equity, justice, and inclusion across public institutions, education systems, and government agencies. She served as Harris County’s first Chief Equity Office and Chief Officer of Human and Civil Rights, leading initiatives like Building Bridges to Unify Harris County and the Ally Training Program for the Juvenile Probation Department. She is also masterful at designing the convenings, councils, and collaborative structures where stakeholders and community partners come together to move from ideation to implementation. Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in Sociology & Criminology from Howard University — where her research examined the influence of police policies on media reporting of transgender murder victims — an MA in Sociology and a BA in Psychology from Texas Southern University, and trained as a speaker under the world-renowned orator and debate coach Dr. Thomas Franklin Freeman.
Dr. Arelia Johnson, Ph.D.
Dr. Arelia Johnson is a nationally recognized strategist, scholar-practitioner, speaker, and author whose work sits at the intersection of policy, justice, and lived experience. A proud daughter of Houston’s Sunnyside, she brings nearly three decades of community organizing and close to 20 years advancing equity, justice, and inclusion across public institutions, education systems, and government agencies. She served as Harris County’s first Chief Equity Office and Chief Officer of Human and Civil Rights, leading initiatives like Building Bridges to Unify Harris County and the Ally Training Program for the Juvenile Probation Department. She is also masterful at designing the convenings, councils, and collaborative structures where stakeholders and community partners come together to move from ideation to implementation. Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in Sociology & Criminology from Howard University — where her research examined the influence of police policies on media reporting of transgender murder victims — an MA in Sociology and a BA in Psychology from Texas Southern University, and trained as a speaker under the world-renowned orator and debate coach Dr. Thomas Franklin Freeman.