Gary Johnson

• Ph.D., Comparative Literature, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• B.A., Comparative Literature, University of Virginia

Gary Johnson served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Lenoir-Rhyne from June 2018-May 2022. In his four years as provost, Johnson guided university efforts toward full re-accreditation for SACS-COC review, reorganized the academic structure to colleges and appointed full-time deans and directed several strategic planning initiative teams. 

Previously, he spent six years as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Hastings College in Nebraska. His accomplishments at Hastings include initiating and completing a comprehensive campus-wide strategic planning process, leading the campus through a successful reaffirmation of accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission and initiating and overseeing the development of numerous new academic and co-curricular programs, among others. Johnson also spent a year teaching abroad in France. He speaks fluent French and reads German.