Deborah Johnson

Deborah Johnson is the GRASP Advisor for John Marshall High School - jmarshall@grasp4va.org Charles City High School - charlescity@grasp4va.org

Deborah experienced a unique situation growing up in Southern Chesterfield County and Southwest Virginia. Raised in Chesterfield County, Virginia, she attended Matoaca High School until her father accepted a position at Virginia Tech and moved the family to Blacksburg, Virginia, where she attended Blacksburg High School. After graduating, Deborah attended Virginia Tech and then transferred to Virginia State University where she earned a B.A. in English and a M.Ed. in Educational Media.

After graduating, Deborah began working for the V.E.L.A. (Virginia Education Loan Authority) advising students about financial aid and payment plans. Years later, utilizing her financial aid experience, Deborah began working for Virginia State University as a Financial Aid Counselor, responsible for ensuring student and parent awareness of various financial aid sources as well as completion of student financial aid packets. Deborah later moved on to accept a position with J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College TRIO programs, as a Talent Search Counselor. Deborah worked in various Richmond Public Middle and High Schools, serving first-generation, low-income students, preparing them for post-secondary education, career planning, and financial aid. After several years working as a Talent Search Counselor, Deborah’s desire to work with students continued, and she transitioned to secondary education as a School Librarian for twenty-five years in multiple school divisions.

After retirement in 2018, Deborah remains skilled in 21st-century technology and informational literacy skills and is passionate about working with youth; she continues to utilize these skills and passion through her volunteer work across the city of Richmond. Deborah is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., VAASL (Virginia Association of School Librarians), and the VEA. Deborah has two daughters, Stephanie and Sydney, one son in-law, Duan, and five grandchildren. Deborah is extremely excited about working with GRASP and the students at Charles City County High School and John Marshall High School.