Johnson 75th

A First Step The Office for Women and Minorities in Business (OWMB), now known as the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), opened in 1999. Founding director Angela Noble-Grange, MBA ’94, would later become a senior lecturer of management communication at Johnson and was honored with the 2012 Wilbur Parker Distinguished Alumni Award—presented to her by Wilbur Parker himself—in recognition of the office’s founding.

Empowering Black Student Leaders Johnson’s Black Graduate Business Association was created in 2000 under the leadership of Marmeline Petion-Midy ’95, MBA ’00. Dedicated to recruiting students of African descent, the BGBA is committed to the professional, academic, and social development of its membership. Petion-Midy was honored with the 2019 Wilbur Parker Distinguished Alumni Award.

Serving Greater Needs The Hispanic American Business Leaders Association (HABLA) was founded in 2003 under the leadership of Marcella Ayala, MBA ’04, to empower Latinx and Hispanic American MBA students. In 2005, Johnson received the prestigious 2005 Brillante Award for Best Educational Institution for Hispanics.

Out for Business The Out for Business (O4B) club for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) Johnson students, their partners, and active allies, was founded in 2003 to foster a positive environment, build a professional network for its members and their allies, and promote a culture of inclusion in the Johnson community and the workplaces they enter.

Focus on Global Sustainability In 2004, the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise was established with support from the family of longtime benefactor Sam Johnson ’50, chairman emeritus of SC Johnson and a widely-recognized global leader in corporate sustainability.

Mission-Driven Partnership In 2004, the school began a partnership with Forté, a consortium of major corporations, top business schools, and influential nonprofits with which Johnson shares a commitment to enhance women’s career and leadership opportunities.

Synchronous Collaboration In collaboration with Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Johnson welcomed the first students to the Boardroom Executive MBA (now the Executive MBA Americas), broadcasting synchronous, interactive instruction to multiple cities from a new, state-of-the-art videoconferencing studio in Sage Hall.

Sage Hall Goes Wireless In 2006, installation of an encrypted wireless network completed a six-year project to provide wireless Internet access throughout Sage Hall.

A Legacy of Leadership L. Joseph “Joe” Thomas, a popular professor of operations management at Johnson since 1967, was named the Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean in 2008. He would lead the expansion of the executive MBA programs, launch the Emerging Markets Institute, and travel around the world to meet with alumni.

Winning Effort In 2009, Johnson joined the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, a nonprofit comprised of top business schools that share a commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion through admissions, recruitment, networking, and career development activities. Johnson’s Consortium students would go on to win the Consortium’s “Together Everybody Achieves More” (T.E.A.M.) trophy four times in a row.