Lee Johnson III, Ph.D., CHES®

Lee Johnson III, Ph.D., CHES®, is Senior Fellow for Early Childhood Education at the Southern Education Foundation (SEF), where he leads its early childhood portfolio and directs the Southern Early Childhood Education Justice (SECEJ) Network, a regional coalition that unites state, national policy organizations, and advocates to improve early learning opportunities across the South. This network of partners engages in professional learning and advances a regional early childhood advocacy agenda. An early childhood educator by training, Dr. Johnson brings more than a decade of experience advancing early childhood policy across local, state, regional, and national contexts. Previously, he served as Vice President of Policy at the National Black Child Development Institute and Senior Policy Analyst for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health at ZERO TO THREE. He also held leadership roles with the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education, where he directed the state’s Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, and led First 5 Alabama, Alabama’s Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. Dr. Johnson earned his B.S. in Early Childhood Education, M.A., and Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Alabama. He is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®).