Bill Johnson

William Leslie Johnson (born November 10, 1954) is an American businessman, university administrator and former politician who has served as president of Youngstown State University since 2024.

William Leslie Johnson was born on November 10, 1954, in Roseboro, North Carolina.

Born in Roseboro, North Carolina, Johnson entered the United States Air Force after graduating from high school in 1973.

For his time in the military, he received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Meritorious Service Medal.

After graduating from S.D. Lee High School in Columbus, Mississippi, he entered the United States Air Force in 1973.

Johnson graduated summa cum laude from Troy University in 1979 and from Georgia Tech in 1984 with a master's degree.

During his tenure in the U.S. Air Force, Johnson was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate from the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Squadron Officers School, and Air Command & Staff College.

He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after a military career of more than 26 years.

After his service in the military, he co-founded Johnson-Schley Management Group, an information technology (IT) consulting company that increased revenues by more than 200% in three years under his leadership.

Following his retirement in 1999 at the rank of lieutenant colonel, Johnson co-founded Johnson-Schley Management Group, an information technology consulting company, before leaving to form J2 Business Solutions, where he was a defense contractor to the U.S. military.

In 2003, he left the company to form J2 Business Solutions, where he provided executive-level IT support as a defense contractor to the U.S. military.

From 2006 to 2010, he served as chief information officer of a global manufacturer of electronic components for the transportation industry.

In the 2010 United States House of Representatives elections, Johnson defeated incumbent U.S. representative Charlie Wilson by a margin of 5%.

He was reelected to the position six times.

In November 2023, the Board of Trustees at Youngstown State University offered him the position of president.

Johnson accepted and resigned from Congress in January 2024 to become the 10th president of the university.

In May 2010, Johnson defeated two primary opponents to win the Republican nomination.

In the general election, he defeated incumbent Charlie Wilson, 50%–45%.

Previously, he was the U.S. representative for OH's 6th congressional district from 2011 until 2024.

He is a member of the Republican Party.

He began his term in the 112th United States Congress on January 3, 2011.

In November 2011, Wilson filed for a rematch in the newly redrawn 6th District, which had been made slightly friendlier to Republicans in redistricting.

Johnson defeated Wilson again in a heavily contested race, 53% to 47%, and began his second term in January 2013.

In 2014, Johnson faced Democratic nominee Jennifer Garrison, a former State Representative and lawyer from Marietta, Ohio.

Johnson defeated Garrison, 58% to 39%, with Green Party candidate Dennis Lambert taking 3%.

He began his third term in January 2015.

Johnson was reelected to a fourth term in the 2016 general election, defeating Democrat Michael Lorentz, the mayor of Belpre, Ohio, 71%–29%.

Johnson was reelected to a fifth term, defeating Democrat Shawna Roberts, of Barnesville, Ohio, 69%–30%.

On January 7, 2021, Johnson objected to the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results in Congress.

The House passed Johnson's World War II Memorial Prayer Act, which would require the prayer President Franklin Roosevelt gave on D-Day to be placed on the World War II memorial.

The House also passed Johnson's Stop the War on Coal Act, which would stop the creation of any new rules that threaten mining jobs.

Both pieces of legislation have been sent to the Senate for consideration.

Johnson sponsored H.R. 4036, the Pass a Budget Now Act, which would cut legislators' pay if a budget is not passed by April 15 of each year.

On November 16, 2023, the Board of Trustees at Youngstown State University offered Johnson the position of president of the university, which Johnson accepted.

His appointment was met with protests over his record as an election denier, his support for Trump's so-called "Muslim ban," and his opposition to LGBT rights, as well as the lack of transparency of the hiring process.

Johnson resigned from the House effective January 21, 2024, and assumed the presidency at Youngstown State the following day.

Johnson called the EPA's ruling "absurd" and said that "it is unconscionable that the EPA has put our public safety at risk because during the hot summer months sometimes, somewhere kids may play in fire hydrant water."

During the presidency of Donald Trump, Johnson voted in line with Trump's stated position 96.8% of the time.

As of September 2021, Johnson had voted in line with President Joe Biden's stated position 13.9% of the time.

As protesters called for the removal of statues deemed racist, Johnson authored an opinion piece for The Washington Examiner titled "Our History Can Safeguard our Future".