Senior Vice President, Communications
Stephanie (Steph) Johnson serves as senior vice president of Communications for the American Cancer Society, where she oversees the organization’s essential communications functions, including media relations, internal communications, issues management, and executive communications. In this role, Steph functions as senior strategic adviser to the executive and volunteer leadership teams on important issues and risk-related matters and serves as a member of the organization’s Executive Team. As a leader in the Marketing & Communications department, Steph is responsible for ensuring these teams work collaboratively to tell the American Cancer Society's powerful story in new and meaningful ways, translating business needs and goals into compelling and inclusive marketing and communications strategies to help further the organization’s vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone.
An Emmy award-winning journalist, Steph has more than 20 years of media, marketing, and public relations experience. Prior to joining the American Cancer Society, she served as vice president of Global Accounts in North America at Hotwire Global, where she oversaw executive communications, media, and speaker training for C-suite leaders, as well as brand reputation, crisis, and issues management for some of the world’s most innovative tech brands. Before her role at Hotwire, Steph served as vice president of Communications and Product Strategies for the American Medical Association, where she led internal communications, external communications, and national campaigns with notable health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
Earlier in her career, Steph spent more than seven years as a journalist, serving as a segment producer for ABC News Good Morning America in New York City and an associate producer and researcher for World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Additionally, Steph worked as a freelance producer for the Chicago bureaus of ABC and NBC News and a television news anchor and reporter for 16 WAPT News, the ABC affiliate station in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi.
Steph has received national recognition for her work to improve health care in America, including features in EBONY and ESSENCE magazines and appearances on the Roland Martin Show and The Breakfast Club. She was also invited by EBONY’s CEO to present the Science Innovator of the Year award to the lead scientist behind the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the EBONY Power 100 awards ceremony.
Steph graduated summa cum laude from Jackson State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in speech and dramatic Arts. Steph resides in Madison, Mississippi, with her daughter, Blake.
