Success in Action: The Importance of Athletic Director Skills Learned in the Online MAA
Dana Johnson is a graduate of OHIO’s Master of Science in Athletic Administration (MAA) program and now serves as athletic director for Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Baltimore, Maryland. The flexibility of the online MAA program made it possible for her to teach and coach while completing her education. We asked about her experience in the online master’s program and what athletic director skills she gained from the curriculum.
What is your academic and professional background, including any certifications you’ve earned?
Johnson: I graduated from the University of Tennessee, where I majored in sport management. After graduation, I played professional basketball in the United States and abroad for 4 years. I received my master’s from ĢƵ University in athletic administration. I have been a certified physical education and health teacher for 25 years and have spent my entire career in Baltimore City Public Schools.
I am currently an athletic director with Baltimore City Public Schools. I have been the athletic director at Dunbar High School for 14 years; before that, I was the athletic director at Southside Academy for 9 years. I am a Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA), secretary of our state athletic director’s association, and a past president.
Why did you choose the MAA at ĢƵ University?
Johnson: I chose the MAA program at ĢƵ University because it was an online program that utilized the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) leadership training courses (LTC). I had already taken several NIAAA courses and knew how helpful they were as I continued to develop and grow as an athletic administrator.
With my responsibilities as a teacher, coach and athletic director, I did not have time to go to a college campus and sit in a classroom for a few hours a week. Also, I loved the idea of meeting with the cohort for the program’s weekend retreat. That allowed us to put names and faces together. It also allowed us to network and understand how other states and districts operate regarding interscholastic athletics while building the advanced skills needed to be an athletic director.
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How did the MAA program help you along your academic and professional journeys?
Johnson: Over the past few years, we have had to shift our mindset on how to be ready for any situation that may occur. I experienced a young football player suffer from cardiac arrest during a contest and he later died. This event prompted us to develop emergency plans for all our facilities. The MAA program gave me the foundation to create a comprehensive emergency action plan (EAP). I referenced my class notes and assignments and began to develop my athletic program’s EAP with the athletic director skills provided through my master’s program. Also, I am prepared to educate my coaches on the importance of being able to carry out what is needed for any medical emergencies involving our athletes, coaches, and spectators.
What makes your job rewarding, and what do you look forward to each season/year?
Johnson: My young scholars are my WHY and reason for returning each year! The best day of the year for me is not celebrating championships but watching my scholar-athletes walk across the stage accepting their diplomas, knowing I had a part in their success as students and athletes. Not all my scholar-athletes are going to college to play the sport that they love, but to know that I have helped prepare them for their next journey – whether it is college or being a part of the workforce – is all the motivation I need to return the next school year!
Describe a recent professional achievement or success, or share about a particular student or team that has made you proud to be an AD.
Johnson: I work with inner-city scholar-athletes. We have had stellar athletes who have played college and professional sports, but I have been blessed to work with a young man who is an awesome athlete, person and student. Because he took both his sport – football – and his academics seriously, he was able to accept a full athletic scholarship to Harvard University. I’ve been an athletic director for 23 years, and he is my first scholar-athlete to be recruited by all the Ivy League and military academies. He is currently in his second year at Harvard and thriving!
If you're interested in pursuing your MAA degree at OHIO, reach out to discover more. Our online MAA program is accredited by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) and features a partnership with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) so you receive the industry-focused education you need to enter the next phase of your career. Our five decades of experience in sports education and industry-connected faculty ensure you graduate ready to make an impact as an athletic director in any K–12 institution.
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