News Release
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Office of News and Information Johns Hopkins University 901 South Bond Street, Suite 540 Baltimore, Maryland 21231 Phone: 443-287-9960 | Fax: 443-287-9920 |
March 12, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Dennis O'Shea or Tracey Reeves |
On the appointment of Provost Kristina M. Johnson as
Under Secretary of Energy
President Ronald J. Daniels sent a broadcast e-mail message today alerting Johns Hopkins University faculty, students and staff to President Obama's nomination of Kristina M. Johnson, the university's provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, as under secretary of the Department of Energy. The text of that message follows.
Biographical information on Provost Johnson is at
tinyurl.com/kjohnson-bio.
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Dear Faculty, Staff and Students:
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President Obama announced today that he will nominate Provost Kristina M. Johnson to be under secretary of the Department of Energy.
If confirmed by the Senate as under secretary, Provost Johnson will be responsible for leading administration initiatives aimed at promoting energy efficiency and developing solar and wind power, geothermal energy, clean car technology, and other forms of renewable, green energy.
Given the centrality of global warming and clean energy in President Obama's recent address to Congress, the nomination of Provost Johnson to this role is a testament to her outstanding record of scholarship, innovation and leadership. She is a distinguished researcher, best known for pioneering work — with widespread scientific and commercial application — in the field of "smart pixel arrays." Last year, she was awarded the John Fritz Medal, widely considered the highest award in engineering and previously given to Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, George Westinghouse and Orville Wright. She is an entrepreneur and has served with distinction as dean of engineering at Duke and, since 2007, as provost at Johns Hopkins.
At Johns Hopkins, Provost Johnson has had a major impact on the university's academic program. She led the 18-month Framework for the Future strategic study which involved colleagues from across the university. That enterprise produced recommendations for strengthening the university's research and education activities. Provost Johnson also launched the Mosaic Initiative, which has successfully recruited underrepresented minorities onto the university's faculty.
She has fostered a number of innovative partnerships within Johns Hopkins and with other institutions, contributed significantly to the formation of our new schools of business and education, and restructured the provost's office to enhance its ability to discharge its responsibilities and support the deans and the faculty.
Provost Johnson's record makes clear her passion for harnessing interdisciplinary collaboration to address society's most urgent social and scientific problems. Her experience, creativity and commitment to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration will contribute powerfully to the administration's efforts aimed at addressing global warming and other major energy-related problems.
Although we will miss Kristina's energy and imagination, it is a singular source of pride for Johns Hopkins that she has been called upon to serve the country at such a critical juncture. I know you all join me in thanking her for all she has contributed to Johns Hopkins in the past two years and in congratulating her on her nomination.
Ronald J. Daniels
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