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Ken Johnson, Jr. – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Director of DAPER Communications, Promotions and Marketing

CSC 25-Year Award

by Rob Knox – Thurgood Marshall College, Senior Director of Strategic Communications Fund // CSC Past President

Despite the hustle-and-bustle of late nights, long road trips, and meetings, Ken Johnson still finds opportunities to enjoy celebratory moments, which keeps him energized. It’s also a reminder that Johnson appreciates the role he has enjoyed during a distinguished 25-year athletic communications career.
 
This past January, at an award ceremony during the NCAA national convention in San Antonio, Texas, one of the biggest highlights of Johnson’s career took place.
 
“We had a 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year finalist,” said Johnson, MIT’s Director of DAPER Communications, Promotions, and Marketing. “There were almost 600 outstanding female student-athletes nominated from all three NCAA divisions. We weren’t sure that she would win, but Karenna Groff is one of the student-athletes who I probably know the best in our department so I was very hopeful. Well, she won, and it was honestly probably the most surprised I’ve ever been. She was so deserving. It was the most ‘oh wow what do we do now to cover this?’ moment that I’ve ever had, in that ballroom in San Antonio.”
 
 
Groff was an All-America soccer player at MIT who majored in biological engineering, was a three-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-American. 
 
There’s no better feeling for an athletic communicator than to be able to celebrate a major accomplishment with a student-athlete and then being the one responsible for sharing that with their respective campus, media, and alumni. Johnson has lived by one guiding principle, which has been the foundation along a wonderful professional journey throughout New England - from Saint Anselm (New Hampshire) to Assumption (Massachusetts) and then to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
 
“Most important to me? To leave things better than we found it,” said Johnson
 
The same can be said of his impact in the athletic communications profession whenever Johnson decides to write his final release. Athletic communications is in much better shape thanks to the numerous contributions Johnson has made throughout his career.
 
“I truly believe we have done that if I left MIT today,” Johnson said. “When I was at Assumption, I took over for Merc (Steve Morris) who had been there for 40 years before he passed and then coming into MIT, I had a plan and I think we have improved that and have kept it going. To me, I think being recognized for 25 years means that I have had 25 years to witness a lot of amazing accomplishments by our student-athletes and highlight their incredible achievements.”
 
Johnson, who has completed three marathons, including the 2005 New York City and 2006 Cape Cod marathons, has been a pillar of New England storytelling excellence. Johnson will be feted for his passion, dedication, and leadership with a 25-Year Award during the annual CSC Convention in Orlando.
 
“This year we have really tried to tell the story through the voice of the student-athletes and have them guide us and I think it’s really helped our strategies,” Johnson said. “I mean, we aren’t the experts on social media compared to the student-athletes, so I think that has been a positive.”
 
Looking back, there are several long-time award-winning sports communications pro who mentored Johnson along the way.
 
“Howie Davis, retired from UMass, got me interested in the profession through my undergrad media relations in sports class,” Johnson noted. “My two biggest influences in the early part of my career are Chris Humm from Brown who gave me my start and then John Paquette from the BIG EAST, who had me as a communications assistant that next year.”
 
And, Johnson hasn’t looked back.
 
He was the recipient of the 2019 U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Excellence in Communications Award for NCAA Division III Track and Field. In addition, Johnson was elected to the D3SIDA Board of Directors in the summer of 2019 and served as the Region 1 representative from 2019-2021. In that role, he was also a member of the original D3SIDA Divisional Cabinet within the CoSIDA governance.
 
Johnson was recently selected as the Second Vice-President of the Eastern Athletic Communications Association (East-Comm) and will begin a four-year term in the summer of 2022, including serving as the organization's 69th president during the 2024-25 academic year.
 
While the accolades are impressive and fill Johnson with pride, the personal relationships with his student-athletes have been the most impactful.
 
“One thing that I am very proud of is the fact that our student-athletes and coaches and staff have always trusted that I have their best interests in mind and portraying them in the best light is what we are looking to do,” Johnson said. “I’ve been in tough spots where we need to bring a senior captain to a presser after a tough loss in the NCAA’s or something like that, and the fact that I have established that trust and knowing that it will last beyond their athletic careers is something I really value.
 
It’s also awesome seeing our student-athletes around campus and they say hello or share a little about their day or what not, the trust that they have with me is something that I really think is awesome.”
 
Johnson credits his hard-working parents, Ken, and Kate, for instilling a love of writing and treating people with respect, for his career success. Even in a profession that has evolved, Johnson continues to arrive to campus ready to make a difference.
 
“My dad played a big role in helping me get into an internship role and guiding me at that point in my life as I was graduating from UMass and transitioning into the ‘real world’,” Johnson said. “My parents are the most honest and hard-working people I’ve ever known, and I wouldn’t be anything without them. My whole family loves sports and unlike most, they have a pretty good idea of what my job entails, but it wouldn’t be possible without some other great folks along the way.”