Aiysha Johnson

Aiysha (AJ) Johnson, MA, IOM, is CEO and executive director of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA). Prior to joining the NJCPA in 2023, she was executive director of BKR International’s Americas Region, where she was responsible for overseeing the implementation of all strategic efforts for BKR accounting and business advisory member firms in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to serving the accounting profession, Johnson previously worked for a range of associations including Vizient, the nation’s largest healthcare performance improvement company, where she supported members with complex benchmarking needs.

Johnson has more than 20 years of wide-ranging global experience working for nonprofits and professional and trade associations. She has proven success in building and supporting high-trust organizational cultures, growing revenue and programs, and building strategic partnerships. Her executive focus includes board and volunteer management; leadership and people management; growth and innovation; financial management; diversity, equity and inclusion; strategy; and advocacy. Her business interests include ethics, data-driven strategies, technology, social investing and policy. Johnson is the creator of the “Let’s Talk DEI” podcast series, launched after being named a Robert J. Myers Carnegie Fellow (2022). The podcast series explored the ethics of equality through journalism, sports and civic engagement.

Johnson was elected to the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors in 2023. She is a member of BKR’s Center of Excellence Advisory Board. She is also on the boards of the Community Foundation of New Jersey and the Executive Women of New Jersey. In addition, she is a board member of the Berkshire Farm Center & Services for Youth, a nonprofit child welfare organization in Canaan, New York.

She has been an affiliate member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) since 2018. She was also an appointed member of the Association for Accounting Marketing’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force.

Johnson has been an active member of the University of Chicago’s Alumni Board from 2021-2023. She was the vice president and director-at-large of the Chicago Women’s Alliance (CWA) and has volunteered for the Jeff Metcalf Internship Program as a professional coach for students at the University of Chicago. She also served as the Crown Family School’s New York Alumni Regional Chair and was an active member of the New York City Alumni Leadership Workgroup.

Johnson was named No. 1 on NJBIZ’s Accounting Power 50 list in 2023 and one of its 2023 People to Watch in Finance. She was also named one of ROI-NJ’s ROI Influencers: People of Color 2023.

She holds an M.A. from the University of Chicago where she studied administration and policy and a B.S. from Western Illinois University. Johnson completed the Global Senior Management Program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and IE School of Business (Madrid) and was the recipient of their Women’s Leadership Scholarship. She also completed the American Institute of CPAs Data Analytics Executive Program and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management (IOM) program.

Johnson enjoys entrepreneurship, the arts, volunteering, writing, reading and travel. She is also a food and wine enthusiast and a member of Chaine des Rotisseurs. She resides in Hudson County.