At just nine-years-old, Regina Johnson wrote a list of everything she hoped to achieve, at the very top was earning her doctoral degree and carrying the title of “Dr. Johnson.” Decades later, Johnson, who was building her career at Microsoft, came across her childhood bucket list. Reflecting on her journey, she realized that earning a doctoral degree remained a dream she was still determined to fulfill.
“I wanted a new challenge,” she recalls. “I’d done a lot already, but my true passion was helping people thrive. When I discovered TC’s focus on transformative learning, I knew I’d found the right place.”
Today, Johnson serves as Senior Manager at Microsoft, where she puts her skills into practice. As part of her guided intensive study in TC’s Adult Learning and Leadership program, she examines how organizational structures impact leaders’ capacity to learn and make decisions, and what conditions help them recover and thrive. The various initiatives that she develops and supports at Microsoft—designed to provide entrepreneurs with resources to accelerate their growth and revenue - have reached more than 10,000 organizations to date.
“My ultimate goal is to create learning environments where entrepreneurs can build resilience, find support, and adapt to change,” she explains. “How can people build capacity as they navigate change in the workplace, and, further, how can they restore that capacity if it has been depleted?”
Navigating Leadership & Change
Upon her arrival at Teachers College, Johnson had meticulously planned her doctoral dissertation ahead of time. But, as she recalls, the Program Advisor, TC’s Pierre Faller, encouraged her to “be in the moment” and reminded her that she would most definitely change her mind. “That’s when my mindset shifted,” Johnson explains. “My current Dissertation Advisor, TC’s Terrence Maltbia, has also helped me find deep clarity throughout my journey. As a retired perfectionist, I’ve learned it’s more than okay to adapt as you grow. I’m applying that lesson in my professional life as well.”
Johnson has since adapted the same mindset in her work at Microsoft, where she supports initiatives and community building efforts for entrepreneurs and startups, connected to the AI Cloud Partner Program, collaborating with global, partner-led organizations and analysts to shape how Microsoft engages with partners and leaders. Yet when asked about what makes for a good leader, Johnson shares that one word that comes to mind: “agility.” “You must be okay with not having all of the answers all of the time - not having a roadmap - that’s important especially now as the world is continually changing,” she explains.
“You have to trust the choices you make but also recognize it’s fine to change your mind along the way. The path isn’t always linear.”
Keep learning, embrace change, and make space for growth. The capacity to pause, reflect, and adapt is your greatest asset and no one can take that away from you.
Community is Key
Over the years, Johnson has led tech initiatives that funded hundreds of companies, built training to help entrepreneurs navigate technology change and created accelerators to help them attract and retain customers, and yet what has stuck with her most was one thing: community. “What inspired me the most from all of it was the partnerships that formed around these spaces,” Johnson shares. “Connection is what keeps us anchored through change.”
She finds the same sense of connection within her Adult Education Guided Intensive Study (AEGIS) cohort at TC, a fast-track cohort program intended for mid-career professionals. Through the program, she works with a diverse group of thought leaders from CEOs and principals to retired army veterans and professionals working around the globe. “The thought partnership that I’ve acquired from my cohort is priceless,” she reflects. “We’re always bouncing ideas off one another about how we approach adult learning theories and apply them to our work in different sectors.”
She regularly brings these insights back to her work at Microsoft, where collaboration and partnership are central to her leadership approach. “A common phrase at Microsoft is ‘partners make things possible,’ and that truly aligns with my own ethos. You can’t lead successfully without others,” she explains.
Watch Now: Insights from Johnson at the Tech Innovator Intensive
Prioritize the “Human” Components of Your Work
In the rapidly evolving age of artificial intelligence, Johnson emphasizes the importance of “bringing the ‘human’ element to your work.” She recalls a recent panel with entrepreneurs and organizational leaders discussing why emotional intelligence is more critical than ever. “As leaders, we’re often overwhelmed by decision-making and constant change,” she notes, adding that stress can become a major barrier to workplace efficiency.
She recommends that leaders place an emphasis on strengthening “power skills”—human skills like adaptability, communication, empathy and more. “When we move away from increasing these types of skills, we fail to realize that understanding how to communicate is an art in itself that should not be overlooked,” she shares. “Understanding people on a human level and recognizing where they are, now that is emotional intelligence.”
Embrace Opportunity
“Someone in my cohort once told me, ‘If you have everything planned, you don't leave room for opportunity,’ and that’s something I’ll carry with me even after I leave TC,” Johnson reflects. She encourages leaders and entrepreneurs to “stay curious and open to new possibilities.” To date, Johnson has traveled globally, advised nonprofits and city government leaders, given talks, and continues to create environments where entrepreneurs can learn and grow together.
Her advice for leaders and entrepreneurs: keep learning, embrace change, and make space for growth. “The capacity to pause, reflect, and adapt is your greatest asset and no one can take that away from you,” she concludes.