Alumna to Provide Commencement Address

Alumna Kia Noelle Johnson will be the commencement speaker during graduation ceremonies, May 11.

Johnson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is director of the Atlanta satellite of The University of Texas at Austin's Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research, a clinical research institute with the mission to change the world for people who stutter.

Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communication disorders from Truman in 2000. She went on to earn a Master of Science degree in speech-language pathology from Howard University and a Ph.D. in hearing and speech sciences from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

A certified speech-language pathologist through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Johnson is an expert in developmental stuttering with a focus on culturally and linguistically diverse individuals and communities. Aside from teaching undergraduate and graduate courses at various universities, she conducts and presents her peer-reviewed research at local, national and international conferences and has first-authored and co-authored many scholarly publications.

Johnson has served the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology through volunteer roles as a member of the ASHA board of directors and past national advisor to the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association. She currently serves as the immediate past chair of the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing board of directors and is a member of the ASHA Board of Ethics.

Throughout her career, Johnson has mentored countless undergraduate and graduate students, with a particular interest in guiding underrepresented students interested in academic research careers. She has been recognized by professional associations and academic institutions for her contributions to the professions in teaching, scholarship and leadership. The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Howard University recognized Johnson with the Distinguished Alumna Award, and the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine honored her with the Judith S. Gravel Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences.

During her time at Truman, Johnson was involved with the Ronald E. McNair Scholar Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She and her husband Deric Dejuan Johnson, also a Truman graduate, have three children, Sydney, Chase and Deric Josiah.