Rahman K. Johnson, Ph.D., was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and graduated from Jean Ribault Senior High School. He has earned degrees from Edward Waters,  Seton Hall, and Jackson State Universities. He is currently in his first term as a member of the Jacksonville City Council.

 

Dr. Johnson was a Professor of Journalism and Communications at Edward Waters College, where he was named 2021 Professor of the Year. In 2020, Rahman chose to write a collection of poetry as a memorial to his late mother, Ida Ross-Johnson. Living, Loving, Letting Go (Nahmar Publishing) earned the esteemed 2021 Book of the Year Literary Award in the poetry category from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.

 

Dr. Johnson is an award-winning actor with numerous stage and film credits, including the HBO Original Picture First Time Felon, off-Broadway in Once on This Island, and the ABC Fantasy series Sheena. He was the host and producer of SPLAT, a game show on Nickelodeon, and has been a strategic communications consultant and TV news anchor.

 

Dr. Johnson has been featured in media worldwide. He was featured as an outstanding leader in EBONY Magazine, quoted in USA Today, and named One to Watch of the Decade by the Florida Times-Union Newspaper. Dr. Johnson has earned many awards and honors, including a Telly Award for hosting the Build Your Future series, the Reginald K. Brack Award of Excellence from the National Urban League, the United Negro College Fund Bettingen Award and he was named Achiever of the Century by the Thurgood Marshall Honors Society.

​

Dr. Johnson is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, The National Urban League, and the United Nations Association of the United States. His passion for creating a better sustainable community led him to serve in elected and appointed local, state, and federal positions.   

  

When Dr. Johnson is not teaching students about the mass communications industry, he is hosting The Rahman Experience podcast. He attributes much of his success to the Urban League movement[,  and continues to spread a message of self-actualization and cultural understanding through performing and lecturing around the world.