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 William A. Johnson Jr.
Distinguished Professor of Public Policy

Fields of Expertise:
Humanities > History
Social Sciences > Public Policy
Social Sciences > Urban Studies

Dept/Division: College of Liberal Arts
E-Mail: wajgpt@rit.edu
News Contact: Vienna Carvalho, vnccom@rit.edu, 585-475-4952
Website: http://www.rit.edu/cla/publicpolicy/


William Johnson, Jr., is a political scientist who has spent the bulk of his career in social service and local government. He served as mayor of the City of Rochester, N.Y., from 1994 to 2005.

His expertise includes local and state government, especially local government consolidation, urban issues which focus on the revitalization of distressed communities, and smart growth and land-use policies.

Prior to serving as mayor, Johnson was the President/CEO of the Urban League of Rochester (1972-1993) and a political science professor at Mott Community College in Michigan (1967-71). Johnson has been a Monroe Community College trustee (1976-82), chairman of the board of directors for Partners for Livable Communities in Washington, D.C. (2002-05) and Chairman of the New York State Employment and Training Council (1979-83). He is currently the chairperson of the Center for Community Progress in Washington, D.C.

Johnson earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Howard University, Washington, D.C. (1965, 1967) and holds doctorates of humane letters and laws from: Keuka College (1990), St. John Fisher College (1998), Rochester Institute of Technology (1999) and the University of Rochester (2006).