Nicole Johnson
Director of Certified Personnel
(785) 295-3027
njohnson@tps501.org
Nicole Johnson recently accepted the position of Director of Certified Personnel in Human Resources for Topeka Public Schools. She started her career as a student-teacher at Chase Middle School, which led to her first teaching position after graduating from Washburn University with her Bachelor’s Degree. She was recognized by Washburn as the Student-Teacher of the Semester. While at Chase, she coached many sports and led many committees as a teacher leader. Mrs. Johnson won the 1st Year Teacher Distinguished Staff Award in the 1998-1999 school year.
In 2003, Mrs. Johnson completed her Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Emporia State University. She immediately transitioned into the Assistant Principal position at Eisenhower Middle School. During her 2 years at Eisenhower, the school was recognized for doubling state assessment scores and making significant improvements in academics.
In 2005, Mrs. Johnson took over the Principal position at Randolph Elementary. During this time, she became a trainer for Love & Logic, Crucial Confrontations, and other professional development programs. After 5 years at Randolph, Mrs. Johnson took an opportunity to move to a larger elementary school and mentor upcoming administrators at Meadows Elementary. When Mrs. Johnson took over in 2010, Meadows Elementary had been placed on improvement for an achievement gap in state assessment scores. Over the next several years, the school made gains in all areas and was moved off of improvement status. During this time, Mrs. Johnson returned to school at Emporia State University to obtain her District Leadership License. After 13 years at Meadows, she accepted a district position as the Director of Certified Personnel.
Mrs. Johnson has served the community in numerous capacities. She helped to establish Midtown Community Services Board and has served as President. Mrs. Johnson has been the educational advisor on the founding board the Children’s Discovery Center. She has worked with the Topeka Public Library to establish an Early Childhood Vehicle. Mrs. Johnson partnered with The Bridge to develop and pilot the Life Buddies program.
Mrs. Johnson was born and raised in the Topeka community. She continues to live here with her husband and raise both her daughters. Her daughters are currently college students playing sports and pursuing careers in the medical field. She spends free time attending her daughters’ sporting events, gardening, cooking, knitting and planning trips with family and friends to the beach.