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Voorhees University

Charlene Johnson

Charlene Johnson

Charlene Johnson, a native of Allendale, South Carolina, has devoted more than 40 years to collegiate athletics primarily as an administrator and transformational leader. She currently serves at Voorhees University and previously spent over three decades at her alma mater, South Carolina State University.

After 31 years in the Athletics Department at South Carolina State including 12 years as Director of Athletics Johnson joined Voorhees University in September 2017 as Vice President for Enrollment Management, Student Affairs, and Athletics.

Leadership at Voorhees University

Under Johnson’s leadership, Voorhees Athletics has experienced historic growth and achievement. During her tenure:

  • The men’s basketball program captured two conference championships.

  • The men’s indoor track & field team won the 2025 HBCU Division II National Championship.

  • The men’s outdoor track & field team claimed the 2025 HBCU Athletic Conference Championship.

  • A men’s track & field student-athlete won the 2024 NAIA Outdoor National Championship in the triple jump.

  • Four coaches earned Conference Coach of the Year honors.

Additionally, the University Choir earned a prestigious invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall, reflecting the institution’s broader commitment to excellence.

Johnson has prioritized facilities and infrastructure improvements, including:

  • Renovation of the on-campus track

  • New scoreboards for baseball, softball, and men’s and women’s basketball

  • Major upgrades to the university pool

  • Renovations to baseball and softball fields, including state-of-the-art dugouts

  • Planned renovations to basketball locker rooms and athletic training spaces

She has also strengthened departmental operations and student-athlete support by:

  • Hiring the university’s first full-time Head Athletic Trainer

  • Hiring a full-time Compliance Officer/Senior Woman Leader

  • Hiring a Sports Information Director

  • Adding an Athletics Academic Enhancement Coordinator

  • Establishing the Tiger V-Club (Athletic Booster Club)

  • Launching the first-ever Voorhees University Athletic Fueling Station

  • Instituting an Annual Education Day serving local and surrounding communities

One of Johnson’s proudest accomplishments at Voorhees was establishing the university’s first Athletics Hall of Fame, with the inaugural class inducted in 2024 to honor outstanding former athletes, coaches, and supporters.

In 2024, Voorhees Athletics also joined the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era of competitive alignment and visibility.

Legacy at South Carolina State University

Johnson was named Director of Athletics at South Carolina State University in 2004, becoming the only female Athletics Director in South Carolina at the time. A true trailblazer, she was:

  • The first woman appointed to a full-time coaching position at SC State

  • The first woman to serve as Chairperson of the Directors of Athletics Association in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (2005)

  • A member of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee

During her tenure, SC State saw significant facility improvements, increased attendance and revenue, and enhanced academic support for student-athletes. Major projects included:

  • Installation of new turf and a video board at O.C. Dawson Stadium

  • Renovations to locker rooms, weight rooms, and training facilities

  • Upgrades to the S-H-M Memorial Center playing surface and scoreboard

  • Construction of an on-campus softball field

  • Creation of a football “Game Zone,” increasing ticket sales

  • Hosting South Carolina High School League and SCIASA Football Championship contests

In 2011, SC State was one of only 26 institutions nationwide to earn NCAA certification.

Johnson, who served seven years as Senior Woman Administrator and Associate AD, also coached volleyball and tennis and worked as an assistant women’s basketball coach during her early career.

Honors & Recognition

Her numerous honors include:

  • Induction into the SC State Athletic Hall of Fame as an administrator (1998)

  • Special Hall of Fame recognition as a member of the 1979 AIAW Division II National Championship Basketball Team (2000)

  • SC State National Alumni Association Stellar Alumnus Award (2012)

  • Rainbow PUSH Jesse Jackson Jr. Sports Person of the Year (2013)

  • NACDA Magazine National Recognition (December 2013)

  • National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) Distinguished Award

  • Featured among “Twenty South Carolinians Making a Difference” (1999)

Johnson earned both her bachelor’s degree (1980) and master’s degree (1987) from South Carolina State University.

She is married to Bishop Virgin Johnson Jr., and they are the proud parents of three children: Taylor, Trey, and Anthony. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.