Education star 'far from finished'

Future bright for former CCD chief, supporters say

Erika Gonzalez, Rocky Mountain News

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

When Escuela Tlatelolco Principal Nita Gonzales learned that one of her brightest graduates was struggling to get into college, she knew exactly where to turn for help.

Instead of contacting college admissions counselors to plead his case, Gonzales went straight to the top, calling then-Community College of Denver President Christine Johnson, who not only got the student into the school but also found him a scholarship.

"If it wasn't for Christine, he would be somewhere else today," said Gonzales. "I always say that without Christine, we wouldn't have the number of our students going to college that we do."

Gonzales said it's unusual for college presidents to take such a personal interest in individual students, but with Johnson, the first Hispanic woman to lead an institution of higher learning in the state, that kind of involvement seemed routine.

Over the past 30 years, Johnson has become an icon in the Hispanic community for her tireless advocacy for Colorado students. Her dismissal from CCD in June was met with anger and disbelief.

Johnson, a former Colorado principal of the year and finalist for the superintendent's job at Denver Public Schools two years ago, spent six years running CCD.

Friends and colleagues describe her as an energetic leader who often went beyond the call of duty to provide opportunities at any level, particularly for minority and low-income students.

"I think what she's done is proven to young people who don't believe that they can have access to higher education, that you don't have to be a top student, that you can learn how to learn and you can be successful," said Rosemary Rodriguez, a former Denver city councilwoman and now a commissioner on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

Chester Finn, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation in Washington, D.C., said he still considers Johnson to be a rising star nationally, thanks to her work on several prominent government and foundation boards.

"She's far from finished," said Finn of Johnson's career prospects.

Still looking at options

Johnson would not talk to the Rocky about her plans. Her attorney, Paula Greisen, said Johnson has not taken a new position but "is looking at any options that present themselves."

Johnson's dismissal from CCD appears to be the only negative mark in a career rooted in rural New Mexico. One of five children, Johnson was educated in a two- room schoolhouse in the central New Mexican town of Hachita.

She was a teacher's pet, who oversaw the school's library and played "school" during recess.

When it was time to attend college, Johnson and her four brothers attended New Mexico State University. Armed with a degree in education, Johnson's first job was teaching English and Spanish at Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver.

Soon, she was working her way up the DPS ladder, while earning graduate degrees from the University of Colorado. She became an assistant principal at Abraham Lincoln High School in 1981 and principal three years later.

Antonio Esquibel, a student of Johnson's when she served as principal at Lincoln and now a principal himself, recalls her as an active administrator who frequently hung out in the cafeteria to talk to kids.

"She was everywhere," said Esquibel. "Back in the '80s and '90s that really wasn't the protocol for a principal."

In 1989, her efforts were recognized with the Colorado principal of the year award. A year later, then-U.S. Secretary of Education Lauro Cavazos appointed Johnson to the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees curriculum, test results and academic performance of students across the United States.

"When she arrived on the board some two decades back, it was with a well-warranted reputation for being perhaps the best inner-city high school principal in Denver," said Finn.

After stints working in Littleton Public Schools and on the Education Commission of the States, Johnson turned her attention to higher education.

Education management consultant Richard Voorhees became acquainted with Johnson 14 years ago, when he was working as a staff member for the Colorado Community College System.

"She was one of the people who was really talking about outcomes and educational reform, and that was kind of controversial back in the day," he said.

Voorhees views Johnson as a visionary known for building partnerships. He also points to her efforts with middle school students, aimed at getting them to think about college earlier.

'Couple of thousand kids'

Johnson, who once told future husband Carl Griffin that she has a "couple of thousand kids," was also involved in helping students at Lincoln and the Career Education Center Middle College in Denver earn associate degrees while still in high school.

That kind of dedication looms large in the minds of Johnson's supporters, who hope she will continue to contribute in the education arena.

Finn and Voorhees suggest that Johnson may end up running an out-of-state foundation, school system or national organization focused on reform.

Rodriguez says a number of people have contacted her with job offers for Johnson.

"Nobody cares what happened to her," said Rodriguez. "She's still as beloved as ever."

gonzaleze@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5350