Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson Speaker Biography

Kevin Johnson was elected as the 55th mayor of the City of Sacramento in November 2008 and re-elected to a second term in June 2012. He is the first native Sacramentan, and the first African American to be elected to the office. His vision is for Sacramento to become “a city that works for everyone.”

Since taking office, Mayor Johnson has embarked on an ambitious plan to reshape how city government serves the citizens of Sacramento. His top priorities include improving public safety, creating jobs and economic development, reforming public education, promoting good government. and enhancing the quality of life for all Sacramentans.

Read more about the Mayor's accomplishments and action plan.

Beyond his policy goals for Sacramento, Mayor Johnson is committed to elevating Sacramento's profile as the capital city of California - the 8th largest economy in the world. To that end, the Mayor has taken on a range of national leadership positions, including his current roles as Second Vice President of the US Conference of Mayors, Vice President of the National Conference of Black Mayors, and Chair of US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's Education Reform Task Force. 

?Before taking public office, Kevin led a diverse career as a professional athlete, entrepreneur and nonprofit executive.  Kevin served as Chief Executive Officer of St. HOPE (Helping Others Pursue Excellence), a nonprofit organization he founded in 1989 and led until January 2008. Originally focused around providing afterschool programs to at-risk youth in Kevin's native Oak Park neighborhood, St. HOPE expanded to pursue a broader program of urban revitalization through public education, civic leadership, economic development, and the arts. Today St. HOPE consists of three divisions: St. HOPE Academy, St. HOPE Development Company, and St. HOPE Public Schools. 

In his prior career, Kevin Johnson played professional basketball in the National Basketball Association. After earning a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley, Kevin was drafted as the 7th pick in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He went on to play twelve seasons with the Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns, earning honors as a three-time All-Star, and five-time selection to All-NBA teams. Kevin was inducted into the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor in 2001, and is a member of the UC Berkeley Athletic Hall of Fame, Pac-10 Hall of Honor, Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, San Joaquin Hall of Fame, National High School Hall of Fame, and World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame.

Kevin has served on the Board of Directors for LISC National, the California Charter School Association, the UC Berkeley Foundation, Teach for America, the Institute of Governmental Studies National Advisory Council and the Harvard Divinity School SLI Advisory Board. His concern and compassion for children and education prompted President George H. W. Bush to honor Johnson with the 411th Point of Light. In addition, Kevin was selected as one of the “15 Greatest Men on Earth” by McCall’s Magazine and has received the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, the Good Morning America Award from Sports Illustrated, NCAA Silver Anniversary award, and the “Most Caring American” award by the Caring Institute.

Kevin has appeared on several national television programs including CNN Newsroom, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dateline NBC, Larry King Live, The Colbert Report, Fox Business Network, and Tom Brokaw’s “American Character.”

Kevin lives in Sacramento with his wife, Michelle. To book education and sports speaker Kevin Johnson call Executive Speakers Bureau 901-754-9404.