Jean Johnson Award

Jean Johnson moved to Rock Springs Rd. in Piedmont Heights in 1972. She joined the Piedmont Heights Civic Association in 1983 and served on its Board of Directors for 35 years. She chaired and served on many committees and task forces, never seeking high post nor personal recognition. She was always the calm voice of experience and reason, never excited nor angry, led by example, and offered wise counsel. Her dedication to community extended far beyond our neighborhood. She served for many years as Piedmont Heights’ representative to Neighborhood Planning Unit F, garnering much public recognition. In 2016, she received an Atlanta Planning & Advisory Board Award for the City of Atlanta’s “Neighborhoods Matter” program.

Jean was at heart a teacher. Her professional career in Atlanta included three major educational organizations: the Southern Regional Education Board, the Southern Education Foundation, and the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, retiring in 2000. Jean never married, but the many friends she made in Piedmont Heights became her loving family.

In 2013, to recognize her long service to our neighborhood, the PHCA Board created and awarded her the “Jean Johnson Award,” which has since been awarded annually to a PHCA Board Member for outstanding service. When asked about the highlights of her life, Jean responded without hesitation: friends made and her years of service to Piedmont Heights.

Jean passed away in February 2020, but we continue to honor her memory and her legacy through this special award as other Piedmont Heights neighbors make their mark on our beloved community.

Jean Johnson Award Recipients

2013 – Jean Johnson

2104 – Bill Seay

2015 – Susan Kanellos

2016 – Baron Jordan

2017 – Debra Gibson-Welch

2018 – Meg Anderson

2019 – Jorgelina Striedinger

2020 – Jim Hardy

2021 – n/a

2022 – Bill Compton and Sachi Takahara (Nakato)