- University Department Education
- Location Stout 250
- Phone Number +1 (336) 841-9232
- Email [email protected]
Dr. Tina Sayuri Johnson is an Associate Professor of Leadership Studies at High Point University (HPU) and an executive coach with 26 years of combined leadership experience.
In Guilford County Schools, Dr. Johnson served for 22 years in roles including Japanese Foreign Language Teacher, Parent Educator, Lateral Entry Specialist, Assistant Principal, and Principal.
Dr. Johnson has served as a full-time faculty member for four years. At HPU, she previously co-led the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Steering Committee supporting Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges accreditation by aligning stakeholders, clarifying ownership, and delivering an outcomes-based implementation and assessment roadmap. She scaled the Siegfried Leadership Fellows Program to serve 700+ undergraduate fellows, directing operations and supervising a 12-member faculty team. She also designed and delivered cohort-based leadership development across the Siegfried Leadership Fellows and the High Point University Leadership Academy, building capability in emotional intelligence, communication, and change leadership. Dr. Johnson teaches in the Leadership Studies graduate program in the School of Education. Her research examines leadership trauma and how leaders recover, sustain well-being, and lead effectively through adversity.
Alongside her faculty role, Dr. Johnson is the founder of TSFJ Consulting LLC (est. 2023), where she supports leaders and organizations through executive and team coaching, leadership development, strategic planning, and organizational effectiveness. Informed by her research on leadership trauma and recovery, she uses a trauma-informed approach to help leaders build capacity, strengthen trust, and lead through change with clarity and cohesion. Since 2009, she has delivered 1,000+ coaching engagements to strengthen leader capability and improve retention outcomes. Her leadership also includes culture and performance improvement through leader enablement—raising engagement from 37.78% to 76.75%, reducing disciplinary incidents by 32%, and improving attendance by 47%.
Dr. Johnson earned her B.A. in Education from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington; an M.A. in Conflict Resolution from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from High Point University; and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from High Point University. She also holds active North Carolina licensure as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. Her professional training includes Lumina Learning (Spark, Emotion, and Leader), The Center for Leadership Studies (Situational Leadership and Situational Conversations), the Center for Creative Leadership (360 Assessment Coach and Coaching Educational Leaders), and EQ-i 2.0® (Multi-Health Systems).
She has been married to Vernon, a teacher and coach, for 30 years. Together, they have two children—Kenji (30) and MayaGrace (17)—and one grandchild, Kamaari (6).