U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, will provide the keynote address, and receive Troy University’s Distinguished Leadership Award, during the University’s summer commencement on July 28 in Trojan Arena.
Some 470 students are set to graduate during the exercises, which start at 10 a.m. and will not require tickets for entry.
During the event, Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., will present Johnson with the Distinguished Leadership Award, which recognizes the achievements of TROY alumni and friends who have distinguished themselves through exemplary work, philanthropy, leadership and service to their profession, community and alma mater. Recent past recipients include Super Bowl champion and alumnus DeMarcus Ware, longtime Alabama educator Dr. Harold Collins, economist and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve System’s Board of Governors Dr. Manuel H. “Manley” Johnson, Florida Congressman Steve Southerland, and retired Air Force Maj. General Walter D. Givhan.
The award was established in 2000, with the first recipient being the late McDowell Lee, longtime secretary of the Alabama Senate.
Johnson, in his fourth term representing Ohio’s 6th district, is a summa cum laude graduate of TROY in 1979 with a bachelor of science degree in computer information systems. He holds a master’s degree from Georgia Tech. He entered the Air Force in 1973, where he was a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Squadron Officers School and Air Command & Staff College. During his 26-year Air Force career, he served as director of the Air Force’s Chief Information Officer Staff at the U.S. Special Operations Command, working directly with senior congressional and Secretary of Defense representatives and top leaders within the U.S. intelligence community. He retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Following his Air Force retirement, Johnson co-founded Johnson-Schley Management Group, Inc., an information technology consulting company. In 2003, he formed J2 Business Solutions, Inc., focused on providing executive-level IT support as a defense contractor to the U.S. military. In 2006, he served as chief information officer of a global manufacturer of highly engineered electronic components for the transportation industry, managing a multi-million dollar departmental budget.
First elected to Congress in 2010, Johnson serves on the House Energy & Commerce Committee and on the House Budget Committee. He is a member of the House Shale Caucus.
He and his wife, LeeAnn, reside in Marietta, Ohio, with son Nathan. The Johnsons also have three adult children, and six grandchildren.
