Jonathan Johnson

Jonathan Johnson

New Orleans Workforce Leadership Academy, Class of 2019, Economic Opportunities Program

Founder and CEO, Rooted School, New Orleans, Louisiana

Jonathan Johnson is the founder and CEO of Rooted School. Rooted School opens high schools that aim to be the local leader in sending local high schoolers directly into the tens of thousands of jobs opening in their communities over the next 10 years and beyond. A graduate of Chapman University, he has been nationally recognized as a “Change-Maker” by The 74, by the Fishman Prize for excellence in teaching, and listed as among the top one percent of emerging social innovators in the world by Echoing Green. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet’s The Giving Pledge campaign recently recognized Jonathan as one of the most innovative school builders in the country. By many accounts, his work is considered one of the most ambitious projects in charter school history.

Jonathan Johnson is a member of the New Orleans Workforce Leadership Academy, Class of 2019, one of several Workforce Leadership Academies in localities across North America.

The Workforce Leadership Academies are part of the Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, a network of leadership and fellowship programs run by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. Within this Network, EOP connects national and local leaders from across sectors — nonprofit, government, business, philanthropy, academia, and more — to advance policies and practices with the potential to help low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in today’s economy. Learn more at as.pn/eofn.

If this is your bio and you would like to revise or update it, please contact eop.program@aspeninstitute.org.