Shontavia Johnson

Shontavia Johnson is an entrepreneurship and innovation expert who has helped hundreds of people build personal brands, businesses, and intellectual property portfolios.

Twice named one of the top young lawyers in America, Johnson is an educator at heart. Johnson was the first African-American woman to receive full tenure and an endowed chair at Drake University Law School, where she also directed the Intellectual Property Law Center. Today, she is the Associate Vice President for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Clemson University.

Johnson is also an entrepreneur and creator. She founded the Brand and Business Company to provide women and people of color with greater access to entrepreneurship. The company’s Academy gives professionals a formula for entrepreneurship that allows them to pursue ideas that make an impact while also making money. And, the company’s media platforms provide free education about entrepreneurship, law, and leading a purposeful life.

As a speaker, Johnson has spoken at the Smithsonian, SXSW, and given the closing talk at TEDxAtlanta. She has also shared her message globally in places including Europe, Asia, and across North America.

She has appeared in TIME, the Washington Post, the LA Times, NPR, and on Hear to Slay with Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan Cottom. She has also been named one of 200 black women in tech to follow on Twitter (@ShontavaJEsq) for the past five years.

Johnson is a Liberty Fellow through the Aspen Institute and served as a Fulbright Specialist to Uzbekistan in 2022.