DETROIT — Wayne State University has named Chacona W. Johnson as vice president for development and alumni affairs and president of the Wayne State University Foundation.
Johnson joined Wayne State in 2012 as associate vice president for principal gifts and executive vice president of the Wayne State University Foundation. She came to the university with an impressive and extensive background in fundraising, most notably at the University of Michigan where she held positions including director of principal gifts, chief of staff to the president and associate vice president for development.
Previously, Johnson was president and CEO of the Detroit Public Schools Foundation and held several positions at New Detroit Inc. She is a member of the board of directors of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Institute of Arts, CultureSource, the Arts League of Michigan, and the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation.
Since the start of her tenure at Wayne State, Johnson has been a key contributor to the ongoing growth of the Division of Development and Alumni Affairs. Under her leadership, the university will continue its progress toward the public launch of its second comprehensive fundraising campaign.
Johnson earned a bachelor’s in business administration from Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C. and a master’s in public administration from Ohio State University in Columbus.
