Edward Waters University has named former Tuskegee University President Dr. Brian L. Johnson as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, strengthening the institution’s executive leadership team during a period of unprecedented growth and institutional momentum. His appointment becomes effective July 13, 2026.
Johnson joins Edward Waters after serving as president of Warner Pacific University from 2020 to 2025, where he led efforts that strengthened the institution’s financial position, secured multimillion-dollar federal grants, and expanded its national profile. Prior to that, he served as the seventh president of Tuskegee University, guiding the historic HBCU through improvements in financial stability, strategic planning, and accreditation.
In his new role, Johnson will oversee the university’s operational, enrollment, and financial divisions while working closely with President Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. to execute the institution’s long-term strategic priorities. Reporting directly to the president, he will be responsible for aligning campus operations, facilities, finance, business innovation, and enrollment management with Edward Waters’ continued growth strategy.
Johnson’s appointment comes as Edward Waters University continues to build on several years of institutional success. Under President Faison’s leadership, the university has surpassed 1,200 students in enrollment for the first time in more than two decades, doubled its academic program offerings since 2018, completed its transition to NCAA Division II athletics, achieved reaffirmation of accreditation through 2035, and invested tens of millions of dollars in campus improvements while maintaining consecutive years of operating surpluses.
“The evolution of our executive leadership structure reflects a deliberate and intentional design,” Faison said in announcing the appointment. He noted that the university’s two-pillar executive leadership model—one focused on academics and the other on operations—positions Edward Waters to sustain its current momentum and support long-term institutional growth.
Johnson said he is honored to join the university at what he described as a transformational moment in its history.
“President Faison’s visionary leadership has taken this historic institution from survival to genuine excellence,” Johnson said. “I look forward to working alongside the university’s leadership team to help advance that vision and support Edward Waters’ continued rise.”
A nationally recognized higher education leader, Johnson brings more than two decades of executive experience across public, private, faith-based, and historically Black institutions. In addition to his presidential appointments, he has held senior leadership positions at Mercy College and Austin Peay State University.
Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree from Johnson C. Smith University, before completing graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and earning a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina.