Theodore Johnson
- PhD (2023)
- Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Additional Information
Alumni Update
Theodore W. Johnson, Ph.D., MPA, is an Assistant Professor in the Aviation Institute at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where his scholarship advances inclusion and belonging within aviation and aerospace. His work centers on improving access, representation, and persistence for racially minoritized populations in traditionally exclusionary, high-barrier fields. Drawing on both aviation and public administration, Dr. Johnson’s research agenda is organized around three tightly integrated streams: student and workforce experiences, mental health and wellbeing, and the recruitment, retention, and persistence of underrepresented populations across the aviation pipeline. The student and workforce experience(s) research stream examines the academic and social experiences of Black and other underrepresented students and professionals, with particular attention to how socialization processes, institutional culture, mentoring, peer networks, and organizational climate shape belonging, identity formation, performance, and long-term persistence. Using qualitative and comparative approaches, this work documents how individuals are socialized into or excluded from aviation and public administration communities. Dr. Johnson currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) and is an executive committee member of the Section on Transportation Policy and Administration within the American Society of Public Administration.
Additional Information
Alumni Update
Theodore W. Johnson, Ph.D., MPA, is an Assistant Professor in the Aviation Institute at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where his scholarship advances inclusion and belonging within aviation and aerospace. His work centers on improving access, representation, and persistence for racially minoritized populations in traditionally exclusionary, high-barrier fields. Drawing on both aviation and public administration, Dr. Johnson’s research agenda is organized around three tightly integrated streams: student and workforce experiences, mental health and wellbeing, and the recruitment, retention, and persistence of underrepresented populations across the aviation pipeline. The student and workforce experience(s) research stream examines the academic and social experiences of Black and other underrepresented students and professionals, with particular attention to how socialization processes, institutional culture, mentoring, peer networks, and organizational climate shape belonging, identity formation, performance, and long-term persistence. Using qualitative and comparative approaches, this work documents how individuals are socialized into or excluded from aviation and public administration communities. Dr. Johnson currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) and is an executive committee member of the Section on Transportation Policy and Administration within the American Society of Public Administration.