Dawna Johnson
Executive Director
Dawna is the Executive Director at the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. In this role, Dawna oversees all financial and operational procedures for the Center, including but not limited to budget development and forecast, human resources administration, financial and project management systems, research administration and compliance, faculty actions, and capital planning and facilities.
Dawna brings to the Center over 30 years of experience in finance and administration, 20 of which have been at Boston University. In her previous role as Executive Director of Finance and Administration at WBUR, she led the development and execution of budgeting and forecasting processes that provided senior management and the governance board with information to guide business strategy and decision-making. In prior roles, she led the implementation of certain aspects of BUworks and partnered with the Boston University Medical Center provost, deans, and senior leadership to devise strategic plans for the three Medical Campus schools and their administrative units.
In her positions at WBUR and the Medical Campus, she supported unconventional institutions at BU in achieving their financial and administrative goals. Dawna is excited to marry antiracist values with the finance and administrative functions, especially as it relates to the Center’s human resources.
Dawna earned her Master’s degree in Business Administration from Suffolk University and her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts.