Mission Statement
The mission of Grantland L. Johnson Institute of Leadership Development is to assist in the preparation of a diverse and talented group of emergent leaders so as to facilitate and support them in building their capacity to serve in the public sector. The focus will be on those less privileged who wish to serve their communities with a sense of vision, noble cause and ongoing commitment to exemplary public service.
Grantland had for some time had a vision of training people to become leaders so that they could continue the work of positive systems change, in which he so deeply believed. He wanted others to have the good fortune he had had receiving higher education, meeting mentors that could guide him, and opportunities that he had had to shadow experienced leaders, ask questions and observe carefully how they operated. Of course, he mentored hundreds along the way and finally, a few years before his death, he and his wife Lee met with a close group of friends in Oakland to discuss such an Institute. He would be President and Lee would be Vice President with full veto power in his absence. Grantland’s health soon deteriorated such that visits to meet potential funders or others associated could not be realized. The vision was delayed. Though he never asked that it be created, the Institute became a focus of Lee's work in the next year. |
| Lee Turner Johnson Grantland wanted others to understand the value of serving across intergovernmental levels and within public agencies related to policy and legislation, bringing reform and innovation through systems change using cooperation, collaboration, interchange, communication, and facilitation between internal and external bodies with a shared vision. A colleague once said, “Of course, he wants to create a bunch of little Grantlands,”. Perhaps the world could use some. |
