Oklahoma State System of Higher Education Chancellor Glen D. Johnson was recently elected vice chair of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). This will be his fifth term to serve in this position. Johnson will serve alongside Louisiana Gov. Jon Bel Edwards, who was elected chair of the board.
As vice chair of SREB’s 80-member board, Johnson works with governors, legislators and state education leaders to improve public education and student achievement across the region from pre-K through the postsecondary level.
“I am honored to serve again as SREB vice chair,” said Johnson. “SREB remains focused on helping students be competitive in an increasingly global economy, and I will continue working collaboratively with Gov. Edwards and the rest of the board to build education pipelines that strengthen and enhance public education across our 16 member states.”
In addition to prior service on the board, Johnson previously chaired SREB’s Commission on College Affordability, which produced a report and recommendations last year. Oklahoma’s state system of higher education is a national leader in affordability, recognized by both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the National Center for Education Statistics as one of the most affordable systems in the nation.
The Southern Regional Education Board works with member states to improve public education at every level, from early childhood through doctoral education. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. Member states are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
Johnson was named chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education in January 2007 following a national search. Before assuming the role of chancellor, Johnson served as the 16th president of Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant for 10 years. He was also director of public policy and adjunct professor of law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Prior to his work at OU, Johnson served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1982 to 1996 and was speaker of the House from 1990 to 1996. At the time of his election as speaker, he was the youngest sitting speaker in the United States.