By Cindy Peterson
New Director Chosen for Education Foundation of Lake County
The Education Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Elizabeth M. Johnson, Ed.D., has been selected to replace retiring Executive Director Carman Cullen who leaves December 31, 2024. Dr. Johnson and Ms. Cullen will be working together the remainder of the year to ensure a smooth transition.
Dr. Johnson brings 12 years of professional experience in educational settings and serving non-profit organizations. She comes to the foundation from Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC), where she was the interim program director, Bachelor of Applied Science in Leadership, for Workforce Programs. Previously she was director of assessment for Process Improvement & Institutional Research at LSSC and associate director of the Office of First Year Experience at the University of Central Florida (UCF).
At LSSC, Dr. Johnson cultivated and sustained community and college partnerships to establish internship opportunities and a virtual seminar series to drive outreach efforts. At UCF, she successfully secured alumni donor gifts totaling more than $100,000 and secured a university-allocated COVID grant for $1.2 million.
Dr. Johnson is an advocate for creating experiences and securing resources that will benefit students beyond the classroom and prepare them to be the future of our community. Her proven track record of leading cross-functional teams to achieve common goals, providing strategic guidance, and managing programmatic details will serve the foundation well.
Her goals align with the foundation’s goals, and the Board is confident that her skills and leadership will be an asset to the Foundation, Lake County Public Schools, Take Stock in Children, and the community.
Originally from the small town of Berryville, Arkansas, Cindy has become a multimedia specialist in journalism, photography, videography, and video editing. She has a B.S. in Communications from the University of Central Arkansas and produces Style Magazine's Sports Hub Podcast and the Healthy Living Podcast. She also produces for Beacon College’s Telly Award-winning PBS show, “A World of Difference.” When she isn’t working, Cindy loves traveling the National Parks with her husband , Ryan, and son, David, photographing wildlife.
