A career built at the frontier of computing — now translating that future for boards and global stages.

Dr. Sandra K. Johnson is a globally recognized technology futurist, keynote speaker, and public-company board director. Founder and CEO of SKJ Visioneering and former IBM Chief Technology Officer for Africa, she is the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering and an IEEE Life Fellow.

Dr. Sandra K. Johnson is Founder and CEO of SKJ Visioneering, LLC, a technology consulting firm focused on AI, cybersecurity, blockchain, quantum computing, and soft power leadership. She is a Senior Executive Fellow at The Digital Economist and an Independent Director on the boards of Regional Management Corporation (NYSE: RM) and Pan-American Life Insurance Group.

Her 26-year IBM career included roles as Chief Technology Officer for IBM Central, East and West Africa; CTO for IBM Global Small and Medium Businesses; and Business Development Executive for IBM Middle East and Africa, where she advised C-level executives across 25 countries. A Master Inventor with 45+ issued and pending patents and 80+ publications, she is an IEEE Life Fellow, ACM Distinguished Engineer, and NACD Directorship Certified. She is the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering.

Dr. Sandra K. Johnson is a globally recognized technology leader, board director, and keynote speaker whose career bridges deep technical innovation and boardroom-level governance. She is Founder and CEO of SKJ Visioneering, LLC, a technology consulting company specializing in AI, cybersecurity, blockchain technology, quantum computing, and soft power leadership; and a Senior Executive Fellow at The Digital Economist.

Dr. Johnson serves as an Independent Director on the boards of Regional Management Corporation (NYSE: RM), where she sits on the Governance & Nominating and Risk Committees, and Pan-American Life Insurance Group, where she serves on the Finance and Audit Committees. Her board service combines fluency in emerging technology with practical governance expertise across regulated industries.

Her 26-year career at IBM spanned research, development, sales, and executive leadership. She was a Research Staff Member at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center and part of the IBM Research design team that built the prototype for Deep Blue, IBM's world-famous chess machine. She later led IBM's Linux Performance team and its WebSphere Database Development team, served as Chief Technology Officer for IBM Global Small and Medium Businesses, and as Business Development Executive for IBM Middle East and Africa — based in Dubai, where she founded MEA's first patent review board. She then served as Chief Technology Officer for IBM Central, East and West Africa, based in Nairobi, working directly with C-suite leaders in 25 countries.

A Master Inventor with 45+ issued and pending patents and more than 80 technical publications, she is Editor-in-Chief of Performance Tuning for Linux Servers. She has authored Soft Power for the Journey: The Life of a STEM Trailblazer, Inspirational Nuggets, Inspirational Nuggets Too, and GREGORY: The Life of a Lupus Warrior.

She earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, summa cum laude, from Southern University; an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University; and a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rice University — becoming the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering. She is an IEEE Life Fellow, an ACM Distinguished Engineer, NACD Directorship Certified, and a recipient of the Rice University Laureates Award as a Distinguished Alumna. She was named to Inc.'s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs (2020) and completed Harvard Kennedy School's Power, Innovation and Leadership program in 2023. She was a former member of the IBM Academy of Technology, comprising the top 1% of IBM's technical professionals.