Heather Johnson

Professor Johnson’s broad scholarly interests lie in gender, sexuality, law, and education. Johnson employs an interdisciplinary research approach, drawing on an array of methodologies to study leadership and organizational development to aid in creating laws and policies that promote equity.

Samples of Heather’s recent work, a longitudinal study on The Gender and Racial Diversity of Louisiana’s Judges 1992-2017, published by the Newcomb College Institute at Tulane University. This study analyzed twenty-five years of data on the gender, race, and political affiliation of every elected judge in Louisiana, culminating in a report and report launch event. The report launch was done in collaboration with Tulane Law School, The American Constitution Society, The Supreme Court of Louisiana, and members of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

In conjunction with the American Council on Education, Professor Johnson authored a report, “Pipelines, Pathways, and Institutional Leadership: An Update on the Status of Women on Higher Education,” which gained national attention in USA Today, Inside HigherEd, and Politico. Johnson’s research has also appeared in the Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk and the Journal of Experiential Education.

Heather completed her undergraduate work at the University of Chicago, where they studied Law, Letters, and Society as well as Psychology. They also hold a Master of Science in Psychoanalytic Developmental Psychology from the Anna Freud Centre at the University College London and a Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University College of Law. Heather is a doctoral candidate completing dual postgraduate degrees in Education Policy and Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education at Michigan State University.
Professor Johnson is particularly passionate about working with students who are interested in gender, sexuality, and advocacy.

As a Law Student as MSU Law Professor Johnson created the Williams Institute Moot Court Competition Team and Class and has served as a coach for the team for over a decade. In 2022, Johnson directed the first National Gender and Sexuality Moot Court Competition hosted by MSU Law to create an online Moot Court opportunity for law students around the country to have an opportunity to engage in research, writing, and advocacy on a current issue in gender, sexuality, and the law.