Meet Erika Johnson, Founder & Executive Director
In 2008, Erika Johnson started thinking about her senior project at Morgan State University and how she wanted to approach helping her community. She was determined to give back and create something that would be truly impactful to children, especially young girls. After losing her father at a young age and growing up in a single-parent household, Erika remembered her own insecurities, loneliness, and difficulty navigating the challenges of growing up. She often wished for a place she could go to get support outside of the encouragement she received from her mom. Then a light clicked: why not create a mentoring program that focuses on helping girls find their success? Pretty Girl Academy was born.
After graduating Morgan State University with a BA in Fine Arts: Graphic Design and receiving her certification from New York University in Digital Publishing for Journalism, Erika began her career as a Project Manager, first for the Salmon Group, Inc. and then for OMNI Business Solutions. Recognizing her passion for serving children and her community, Erika decided to make a career change in 2022. For over a year, she served as a Student Support Teacher for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, as well as the Communications and Events Assistant for Leadership Anne Arundel.
While navigating her professional career, Erika has devoted countless hours to building Pretty Girl Academy. As her programs and membership grew, she has been dedicated to establishing community partnerships, finding new opportunities and mentors to better serve the girls, and giving the love and support each member needs to establish their path to success. “I hope to give the girls peace whenever they are with Pretty Girl Academy. A place where they don’t feel judged or criticized. I hope to offer them a chance to know they can be, do, and have it all.” In an effort to better serve her members, Erika has stepped back from other opportunities to prioritize the needs of the organization, serving full-time at the Executive Director of Pretty Girl Academy.
Some of Erika’s accolades include:
2018 Pathfinder Recipient from A Tribute to Women of Color
2018 Fannie Lou Hamer Award from The Anne Arundel County MLK Committee
2020 Entrepreneur Award from The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Anne Arundel County Chapter
2021 Bertina Nick Scholarship Recipient for Leadership Anne Arundel (Neighborhood Leadership Academy 2021 and Flagship 2022 Graduate)
When Erika is not working with our community’s youth or serving Leadership Anne Arundel, she enjoys taking dance classes with “EXPRESSIONS” Dance Company, baking, anything Beyoncé, anything artistic, and traveling the world.
“There was no textbook that could give me insight on certain things I faced as a young girl. Things like how to deal with relationships or how to cope with the loss of my father. I wanted to be provide those types of resources to girls in need.”
Note from Erika
Walking around in your 20s and not being comfortable with who you are, sucks! When I was younger my mother always told me that I was beautiful, said how pretty my dark skin was, but I’d always think to myself, “She's my mom. She is supposed to say that.” I didn’t see the truth in her words. When you are a kid, you sometimes need guidance, answers, and encouragement from people outside of your home. Recognizing that feeling much later on led me to create this organization.
With Pretty Girl Academy, I was originally hoping to give African American girls in my community the things I lacked while I was growing up. A place where they could talk openly with other girls without fear of peer pressure. A place where they could receive guidance and answers to life’s questions from women who genuinely care about them. A place where they could find some peace.
When I started Pretty Girl Academy in 2008 as my senior project at Morgan State University, I never imagined how far it would come; how many girls we would help. Since its inception, Pretty Girl has grown into a full mentoring program, giving girls of all ethnicities and races the resources, support, and love they need to develop confidence in themselves and their abilities to succeed.
No girl should grow up being uncomfortable and insecure about who they are. That’s why I’m a woman on a mission.
There are so many girls in our community that feel the way I did when I was younger. Thanks to Pretty Girl, they don’t have to feel that way anymore. With each successful mentorship, more girls will feel confident, capable, and seen by the time they enter adulthood and beyond.