FOUNDER/CHAIR

Major Michael Johnson is the Co-founder and Chair of Joe’s H.E.A.R.T. organization. Mike is a US Army Vet with over 20 years of experience earning a Bronze Star with deployments to Iraq, Germany and several states within the US. Mike has spent several years mentoring young adults while working with the SROTC at both the University of Alabama, Birmingham and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Mike and his wife currently Chair the Helping Hands Ministry at his local church, Community Empowerment Center, providing support to the homeless shelters for battered women and children as well as the less fortunate.

Mike holds a Degree of Bachelor of Science in Commerce & Business Administration from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and owns and operates J & E Reality LLC.

As the big brother to Joe Johnson, Mike is a product of this very organization’s target market, and remains eager to give these young men the opportunities they deserve to be successful in life.

FOUNDER/VICE-CHAIR

Dr. Crystal Howard Johnson is the Co-founder and Vice Chair of Joe’s H.E.A.R.T organization. As the Director of the Division of Comparative Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center located in Washington, DC, Crystal leverages her position to champion diversity initiatives to support exposure of minority students from disadvantaged backgrounds to career opportunities in science and medicine. Prior to her transitioning to Georgetown University, Crystal served as the Director of the Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery’s Veterinary Internship Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) for over eight years. A program centered around mentoring underrepresented minority college students seeking a degree in veterinary medicine while serving as a training center and pipeline for several veterinary technical colleges and doctoral programs. In addition, Crystal developed and served as the track advisor for the Center for Excellence in Youth Education (CEYE), Veterinary Science Track program at ISMMS. A summer internship-based program designed to expose underrepresented minority high school students to veterinary sciences in a biomedical research environment while enhancing their basic science knowledge and language arts skills. CEYE is a unit of Mount Sinai Health System's Office for Diversity and Inclusion.

While living in Peekskill, New York, Crystal and Joe were very active in serving the local community as members of the local NAACP and Mount Olivet Baptist Church. Together, they participated in food and clothing initiatives to support organizations such as Jan Peek House, CHHOP, and the Westchester County Food Bank. Crystal led several community-based efforts supporting and organizing back to school supply drives as well as health and wellness educational seminars as a member of the board of directors for the City of Peekskill’s Youth Bureau and the Mount Olivet Baptist Church Health Education Ministry.

As the wife of Mr. Joe Johnson for the past 19 years, Crystal is proud to establish the Joe’s H.E.A.R.T organization as a legacy and honor to his life’s work of helping others realize and achieve their full potential in life.

Board Member

Courtney is a DEI Consultant and Attorney, primarily assisting law schools and law firms by providing impact-driven strategic programming to increase outreach and diversity in the legal profession.

In 2020, Courtney founded Love Your Scalp, a scalp care company that produces plant-based scalp care essentials to soothe flaky, dry, and itchy scalp for all ages and hair types. As a result, Courtney has been featured on panels with Shipt, the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, and the Magic City Classic's Celebrating Black Innovators Series. Courtney is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, and has served as an AmeriCorps Vista at Growing Kings, a mentoring program for underserved male youth in the city of Birmingham, Alabama.

Secretary/Treasurer

Liza is a social insurance specialist for the United States government. She ensures proper disbursement of governmental funds to eligible citizens.

Liza has worked for many years as a educational motivator to African American students. She works in the Birmingham and surrounding areas providing in home tutorial services for children of all ages. Liza has also provided financial guidance by teaching the fundamentals of budgeting. With this beneficial foundation it has aided individuals in successful financial growth.

Board Member

Adam Mixon is a pastor, poet, podcaster, published author, community activist, and IT Security Professional.

Adam has been the pastor of the Zion Spring Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama for twenty-two years! Adam is the founder of the Springboard Enrichment Program which is an academic camp for struggling students. Adam is also an associate editor of the Journal for Preachers and the Content Curator/Cohort Facilitator for the Ministry Collaborative – a support group for clergy. For more information about Adam’s work, visit zionsbconline.com, mministry.org, or adammixon.com.

Joe and Adam have been best friends and brothers for 23 years.