Dr. Sandra K. Johnson
Founder and CEO of SKJ Visioneering, LLC. A globally recognized technology leader, inventor, public-company board director, and keynote speaker bridging deep technical expertise, executive leadership, and governance at the highest levels.
Dr. Johnson leads SKJ Visioneering, a technology consulting firm focused on AI, cybersecurity, blockchain, quantum computing, and soft power leadership. She is a Senior Executive Fellow at The Digital Economist and an Independent Director on the boards of Regional Management Corporation (NYSE: RM) and Pan-American Life Insurance Group.
Her 26-year IBM career spanned research, development, sales, and executive leadership — including CTO for IBM Central, East and West Africa; CTO for IBM Global Small and Medium Businesses; and Business Development Executive for IBM Middle East and Africa, advising C-level executives across 25 countries.
A Master Inventor with 45+ issued and pending patents and 80+ technical publications, she is Editor-in-Chief of Performance Tuning for Linux Servers and author of Soft Power for the Journey: The Life of a STEM Trailblazer.
She earned a B.S. summa cum laude from Southern University, an M.S. from Stanford, and a Ph.D. from Rice University — becoming the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering.
From research bench to boardroom.
- PresentFounder & CEO, SKJ Visioneering, LLC
- PresentIndependent Director — Regional Management Corp (NYSE: RM), Pan-American Life Insurance Group
- IBMCTO, IBM Central, East & West Africa — Nairobi, advising C-suite across 25 countries
- IBMBusiness Development Executive, IBM Middle East & Africa — Dubai; founded MEA's first patent review board
- IBMCTO, IBM Global Small & Medium Businesses
- IBMManager, IBM Linux Performance & WebSphere Database Development
- IBMResearch Staff Member, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center — Deep Blue prototype team
- RicePh.D., Electrical & Computer Engineering — first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering
- StanfordM.S., Electrical Engineering
- SouthernB.S., Electrical Engineering, summa cum laude