Dr. Lesli Johnson

Dr. Lesli Johnson, after a successful clinical career in mental health, joined Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs in 1997 to lead the Planning, Evaluation, Education and Research team, one of the two teams providing services to public and nonprofit organizations throughout the region and beyond. In 2007, Dr. Johnson joined the School’s faculty. Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Ohio University and a Master in Social Work from the University of Oklahoma. She has 20 years of experience working in community programs, including mental health, health, education and child welfare. Dr. Johnson enjoys working on interdisciplinary teams both as a researcher and as a project leader. As an evaluator, she has conducted evaluations on school-based programs, mental health and health interventions, community development and community readiness. She is currently serving as lead evaluator on Project Launch, a five-year SAMHSA funded program that includes a partnership between state policy makers and local service providers and the integration of services for children, birth through age eight. She is also the lead evaluator on a four-state initiative to create local coalitions dedicated to the prevention and self-management of diabetes. She teaches courses in the Master of Public Administration program on research methods, public policy analysis, implementation science, and program evaluation.