Meia Johnson is a Senior Program Associate at the Los Angeles County Arts Department of Arts and Culture. Ms. Johnson guides the work of the Creative Career Pathways for Youth, an LA County initiative to develop, strengthen, and expand pathways that prepare young people ages 14-24 for careers in the arts and creative industries. Guided by research in Building Creative Career Pathways for Youth: A Field Scan for LA County, the work focuses on building pathways for youth who have historically experienced barriers to employment. The research shows that youth of color, from low-income communities, and those impacted by the justice or foster systems face the most significant obstacles and are often unaware of creative careers, earning potential, arts education programs, and work-based learning opportunities. This initiative aims to reduce barriers and change perceptions, ensuring that all youth have equitable access to the wide variety of creative jobs and careers in LA County. Ms. Johnson is committed to cultural equity and inclusion and seeks to identify, align, and leverage resources for providing youth with concrete entry points into the creative economy.

Ms. Johnson has extensive experience designing, implementing, and administrating workforce development programs for youth. Ms. Johnson’s experience also includes community planning, nonprofit management, and organizational development consultation.

Ms. Johnson is a senior faculty member and subject-matter expert within the School of Business at the University of Phoenix. She has a bachelor’s in journalism, a bachelor’s in Pan-African Studies, and a Master of Public Administration from California State University, Northridge. Meia is a first-year doctoral student at the American College of Education, pursuing a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership .