Episode Details

A Quick Note to Listeners:

Before this week’s episode, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is:

How can we build and sustain trust with staff, students, and parents?

Listen in to hear their response!

Meet Dr. Greg Johnson:

Greg Johnson is the high school principal at West Liberty-Salem High School in West Liberty, Ohio. He was first hired as a middle school social studies teacher in 1997 and recently completed his twentieth year as principal, marking his twenty-eighth year in education – all at the same school. Greg enjoys the small rural school setting and appreciates the family atmosphere and collaborative spirit of his K-12 building.

Greg serves on the NASSP Board of Directors. His involvement with NASSP can be traced back to the school shooting that he and his school experienced in 2017. This event and the extensive recovery period that followed let to Greg’s involvement in the establishment of the NASSP Principal Recovery Network in 2019. While serving as a co-facilitator of this group, Greg gained a deeper understanding of the vision, mission, and work of NASSP. Greg joined the Board of Directors in 2024.

Sharing his experience and educating others about school leadership during and after a shooting as well as the long and difficult road of recovery has been a passion of Greg’s since 2017. This passion has allowed him to speak at conferences across the country, often accompanied by his wife, three children, and son-in-law. All members of the family were in the school the day of the shooting and each experienced the event and its aftermath differently. Greg brings a thoughtful, authentic, and compassionate approach to speaking on school safety as well as to his work as a school leader.

Greg’s greatest passion is his family. He has been married to his wife Crystal for 28 years and they are the proud parents of three adult children. Additionally, he is also passionate about his Ohio State Buckeyes. Greg and Crystal met at Ohio State. All three children are graduates or current students at OSU. In addition to his bachelor’s and master’s from OSU, Greg accomplished a life-long goal of earning his Doctor of Education from Ohio State in 2024. As their youngest follows her two older siblings to OSU, Greg looks forward to tailgating on campus with his wife and kids as often as possible. Go Bucks!

Episode Highlights:

A Call to Leadership:

Dr. Johnson initially considered a career in engineering but found his calling in education through a mentor. He began teaching social studies and coaching at West Liberty Salem in 1997. Witnessing a “revolving door” of five principals in seven years, he felt a strong pull to provide stability. A dean of students role served as a stepping stone to his prin