Cindy Johanson

For more than 30 years, Johanson has led the design and expansion of digital services with a primary focus on education. Under her leadership at the George Lucas Educational Foundation, Edutopia has become a leading, trusted source for what works in education. More recently, the Foundation has introduced a new division, Lucas Learning, centered on creating authentic, project-based learning simulations for schools in collaboration with strategic partners. Before joining the George Lucas Educational Foundation, Johanson served as senior vice president of interactive and education for the Public Broadcasting Service. At PBS, she was responsible for launching and growing the renowned pbs.org and its associated websites, such as pbskids.org, pbsparents.org, and PBS education services. Johanson’s passion for online learning started in 1989 with text-based interfaces and 300 baud modems when she managed teacher support and training for Learning Link, an online service for K-12 classrooms. Johanson holds a master's degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a bachelor's in communications from Ohio University.