Brady Johnson honored with Distinguished Alumni Award
The Mitchell Community College Alumni Association awarded its 2018 Distinguished Alumnus Award to Mr. Brady Johnson, class of 1974, at the annual Alumni Weekend events on May 5. Johnson was selected for the honor for his commitment to public education as a teacher and administrator, for his leadership in making our county’s schools a nationally-recognized and celebrated system, and for his partnership in ensuring that every child in our community has an opportunity for success.
Brady Johnson, an Iredell County native and graduate of South Iredell High School, entered Mitchell in the fall of 1972. He soon proved his academic bona fides, earning class honors in both his first and second years. When he graduated with his Associate of Arts degree in May of 1974, he did so as a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the college’s academic honors society. After graduating from Mitchell, Johnson earned his Bachelor of Science in Social Studies from Appalachian State University and later completed his Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Gardner-Webb University.
Johnson entered education as a classroom teacher in Iredell-Statesville Schools (I-SS), and he has devoted his entire career to his hometown school system. Through the years, he has served as an assistant principal, principal, and deputy superintendent, and in 2009, he was appointed superintendent of his beloved Iredell-Statesville Schools. Johnson approached his job at the apex of his career with the same rigor he applied in his studies at Mitchell.
As superintendent, Johnson represented I-SS as a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, a recognition presented by then-Vice President Joe Biden. In his tenure, I-SS has successfully received more than $26 million in federal grant funding for its leadership and innovation in education reform, efforts to close academic achievement gaps, and implementation of a one-to-one technology initiative that revolutionized the way curriculum was delivered to middle and high school students.
In 2014, Johnson’s success as I-SS chief administrator earned him the title of North Carolina Superintendent of the Year. He was appointed as superintendent advisor to the State Board of Education the following year and served as President of the N.C. School Superintendents’ Association.
Beyond his career in education, Johnson has served multiple community non-profits as a board member, including at the Boys and Girls Club of the Piedmont, the United Way of Iredell County, Crosby Scholars, and Iredell Memorial Hospital. In 2016, the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce named Brady Johnson its 2016 Citizen of the Year.
For more information about the Mitchell Alumni Association and the Distinguished Alumni Award, visit the Alumni webpage, email alumni@mitchellcc.edu or call (704) 878-4321. Pictured above, Brady Johnson with Alumni Association president Carol Johnson.