JOHN ALLEN JOHNSON was born in Atmore, Alabama. His family moved to Davenport, Florida when he was seven years old. John was the youngest of 6 siblings, three brothers and two sisters, and a God sister. His parents separated when he was very young and for the most part, he was raised by a single mother. John graduated from Oakland Highschool in Haines City, Florida, located about three miles from Davenport. There he excelled in sports, football and baseball. After graduation he enrolled in Voorhees Junior College in Denmark South Carolina and graduated with an Associates of Arts Liberal Studies degree. He then attended Benedict College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary and Secondary Education.
During his time at Benedict College, he was as an outstanding athlete, and was honored with induction into the Benedict College Sports Hall of Fame. John’s accomplishments in collegiate sports, provided opportunities to be engage in the professional sports arena. He was an offensive guard with the old New York Titans. Then he went on to join the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. John also played in the Canadian Football league with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. While studying at Benedict College he met a fellow student, the love of his life, Aloma D. Crumpton, a Buffalo resident. Shortly after graduating, they married and settled in Buffalo where they both started their professional careers, in education. John enrolled in State University College at Buffalo and SUNY, Buffalo where he pursued a Master of Arts Elementary School Supervision degree.
John’s extensive employment history is primarily senior executive level geared toward helping youth and families. But, he is most proud of operating his own businesses and servicing his community through his work in local, State and Federal Government. He began his career in Buffalo employed by the Buffalo Public Schools in 1967, first as an elementary and middle school teacher, then in 1968 he was hired as City of Buffalo Concentrated Employment and Training Director. From 1972 through 1979 he was employed by Erie County Government. During this time, he held two positions, Director of Criminal Justice Planning in the Erie County Government Executive Office and Commissioner of Erie County Department of Youth Services. John operated his own business from 1980 through 1987. He started Vanguard Consulting and Training where he was President and Chief Operating Officer. In 1989 he became Special Assistant/Consultant to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In 1993 he worked as Executive Director of the University of Buffalo Office for University Preparatory Programs (OUPP). He went on to the position of Commissioner in the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (NYS OCFS) in 1995 and retired in 2006 after 11 years. In 2007 John opened GAIIN Management Training and Consultant Services, where he is President and Chief Operating Officer.
John’s many accomplishments include: Developing New York State Office of Child & Family Services (NYS OCFS) organizational
framework to guide the agency’s 4.2 billion dollar federal, state, and local operations; Created the Stakeholder Leaders Recommendations for the next OCFS Leadership Team to initiate Strategic direction, partnerships, and strong leadership through organizational structure; Institution of Quality Child Care and Protection Act of 2000, significantly improved the quality and safety of childcare; Creation of the Child Abuse Hotline Center providing reliable processing of gathered information to the State Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR); Governed the Adoption Now partnership comprised of the OCFS, the NYS Office of Court Administration, local social service districts, and voluntary agencies in accelerating adoption through a streamlined process; Spearheaded the Healthy Families New York voluntary home visitation program, which expanded to a nationwide movement entitled Healthy Families America. This preventive program promotes growth and development for families at high risk of abuse and neglect; developed the Advantage After School Program, providing youth development services for 139,000 NYS youth requiring a safe and quality driven structured learning environment; provided organizational leadership to reform juvenile justice and/or juvenile correction for youth twenty-one and under; created Persons in Need of Supervision (PINS), as a diversion and detention alternative for eligible youth offenders. PINS encouraged exhaustion of all community-based options leaving detention as a final consideration for offenders; created Youth-in-Progress (YIP), as an advisory-based group of former or current foster care participants serving as mentors to present foster care participants; lead Child Welfare Financing Reform initiative that strengthened the capacity of local communities and service providers for quality preventative and community-based services reducing and/or avoiding out of home placement; created the Children’s Literacy Rights and Education Act, ensuring that all students who are blind or legally blind, be provided Braille materials and instruction for use.
Administered through the Adirondack Experience, this initiative also provides support to community-based agencies assisting the visually impaired; coordinated the three-year initiative through the Division of Rehabilitative Services (DRS) collaborating with the International Center for Leadership in Education to raise students’ abilities meeting No Child Left Behind legislation; DRS achieved and maintained 100% accreditation of all 29 juvenile corrections facilities, 2 reception centers, 6 group homes and 7 Evening Reporting Programs; assisted in the development of collaborative strategies of state and local government to eradicate conditions that are roadblocks to youth asset development and achievement; provided leadership and assistance in the development of HUD’s Anti-Drug Elimination strategy, resident homeownership, and public housing management.
As with John’s accomplishments, his awards are many, but those most important to him are the N.A.A.C.P. Medgar Evers Award, Whitney M. Young Award from the Urban league, African American Police Association Community Service Award, C.A.O. Outstanding Leadership Award, Buffalo Evening News Citizen of the year Award 1983, Buffalo Evening News Outstanding Public Service award 1983, True Bethel Church for
establishing the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor, Benedict College Sports Hall of Fame, Global directory of Who’s Who award for Public Service, Child Welfare league of America Leadership Award for Child Welfare Service, Niagara University Founder’s Award.
John’s professional memberships are: American Correctional Association, Board of Governors (Former); American Public Human Service Association; Child Welfare League of America; NAACP, lifetime member; Board of Trustees, Benedict College; Benedict College National Alumni Association, lifetime member; and Benedict College Sports “Hall of Fame.” His non-profit leadership includes Board Member and Convention Delegate, United way of Buffalo and Erie County; Catholic Central School Board Member; C.A.O. of Erie County Board of Directors; Erie Community College Foundation; and YMCA of Buffalo and Erie County Board of Directors.
John’s professional credentials comprises of Chair of Jackie Robinson Empire State Freedom Medal Commission; Chair of the Erie County Stadium Commission; Director, Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority; Global Directory of Who’s Who Among America’s Professionals and Executives.
Mr. Johnson was recently elevated to the office of Elder at the St. John Baptist Church. He and his wife joined St John in the early 1990’s under Pastor, Rev. Dr. Bennett W. Smith. When he applied for church membership, he stated “he felt the same spirit of the Baptist Church that he experienced during his youth at his mother’s church in Davenport, Florida”.
Throughout the years Overseer Pastor, Michael Chapman has called upon Elder Johnson to spearhead major church projects. Elder Johnson has known Pastor Chapman and Minister Ina Chapman since their early teenage years. He expressed how proud he is of them. Elder Johnson is presently Chairman of the 95th Anniversary Church Banquet committee. Aloma D., John’s wife, passed away in 2006. A short time later a series of spinal-cord and back surgeries caused his mobility to be stricken. Through all of this, his faith in God has grown stronger. He has two daughters, Ingrid and Ivy, and two grandchildren, Nigel and Giselle. He and Aloma were also blessed to have a bunch of God children.
Visitation will be held on Friday, August 4, 2023, 5 PM – 8 PM at St. John Baptist Church, 184 Goodell Street, Buffalo, New York 14203, where the family will receive friends on Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 11 AM. Funeral Services to follow at 12 PM. Interment Forest Lawn Cemetery.
View Saturday’s service live at: https://www.youtube.com/@vonswysolutions5077/streams
