Biography
Dr. Steven L. Johnson
President and CEO
Dr. Johnson is heading into his 23rd year as Sinclair’s President. During his presidency, the college has experienced extraordinary improvement in student success rates, and a remarkable expansion of access to include several new learning centers across the region, including campuses in Centerville and Mason, Ohio. Sinclair is now the second largest community college in Ohio and, in the last 10 years, has awarded more credentials than any other Ohio 2-year college. Sinclair Community College, a member of the League for Innovation, was recently named the #1 college in the nation for sustained student success. Sinclair offers job-focused bachelor’s degree programs. It is among the few colleges in Ohio offering the lowest college tuition while delivering results across numerous college departments that are deemed as among the best in class nationally.
Sinclair’s most recent strategic initiative focuses on advancing student success, workforce readiness, and AI-driven innovation. Sinclair, through its National UAS Training and Certification Center, is the first ever academic institution to acquire BETA products, which will enable the college to offer unparalleled academic and workforce education, familiarization training, and research experiences. This reflects Sinclair’s commitment to advancing the future of aviation and establishing Ohio’s position in the industry by creating access and opportunities to workforce training with electric aviation technologies and newly developed programs.
Sinclair has no debt and continuously receives the highest financial ratings among all of Ohio’s universities and colleges. With 2,500 full-and part-time employees and $160 million in annual operations, Sinclair is among the 15 largest employers in the Dayton region and has repeatedly been voted by its employees as a “Best Place to Work.”
Internationally, Sinclair College recently played a critical role in fostering an opportunity for high-level diplomacy and negotiations during the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Spring Session. Sinclair hosted Heads of State from the Balkan countries and senior U.S. government officials, including the U.S. Congressional delegation. Sinclair provided a safe, secure, and private environment for diplomatic discussions between the presidents, ministers, and other officials with Balkan countries, three decades after the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords.
Dr. Johnson is a Dayton regional Leader of the Year; among the Leaders of the Decade; and named one of the “12 Most Influential People” of the Dayton Region. He has also been honored as Humanitarian of the Year by the National Conference for Community and Justice. Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas-Austin.