The Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership is a research and teaching center within the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA).
The Johnson Institute seeks to enhance ethics and accountability in leadership through teaching, research, and public service. We develop and celebrate outstanding, diverse leaders at all levels and create opportunities for them to engage in disciplined debate, reflections, and inquiry.
The Institute helps GSPIA fulfill its mission to prepare students to make significant contributions through leadership in public service and also plays an integral role in the University of Pittsburgh’s broader community engagement efforts. Through longstanding programs like the Nonprofit Clinic, the Johnson Institute has a legacy of concurrently preparing students for leadership roles in the public and nonprofit sectors and strengthening the organizational capacity of local and regional institutions.
The Institute is named in honor of GSPIA alumna LaVonne Johnson (MPA ‘80), and her late husband Glen Johnson. The Johnson family has supported leadership-related programming within GSPIA since at least 1995, and the Institute was formally created in 2006