Biography

Dr. Valorie Johnson is employed as a Program Officer in the area of Education and Learning at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan. In this role, she manages and monitors active projects, and reviews and assesses new proposals. She currently serves as the lead Program Officer on The Learning Laboratories for Early Learning and Education System’s Change effort, and has served on numerous initiatives and program teams during her tenure. Previously, Val was director of Native American Affairs for the State of Michigan’s Department of Social Services (DSS) in Lansing. She coordinated the activities of 20 outreach staff throughout the state, and led the development of a range of programs and services that served Native American children, families and communities. Val began her career as a human relations executive with the National Education Association in Washington, D.C. She earned a doctorate in educational administration from Michigan State University, a master’s in educational psychology and a bachelor degree in human development from the University of Hawaii. As a consultant, Val has advised human service and educational institutions across the United States including the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. She also served as a guidance counselor at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, Hawaii. From 1989 to 1992, Val was a Fellow in Group X of the Kellogg National Fellowship Program. She formerly served on the Board of Regents for Bay Mills Community College the Board of Americans for Indian Opportunity, and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, both in Washington, DC. She now serves on the Board of the Thrive By Five Early Learning Fund in Washington, D.C.