Today@Sam Article

Commencement Spotlight: Theresa Johnson

Dec. 16, 2024
SHSU Media Contact: Mikah Boyd

Theresa Johnson
El Paso, Texas
Master of Science in Project Management

A person’s ability to adapt to life’s twists and turns can often dictate their ability to reach their goals. Theresa Johnson is well aware of the importance of adapting, which has been a key to her success while the business landscape has changed around her.

Johnson’s latest adventure began during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, her husband retired from the Marine Corps and legislative changes in California left her deciding whether to reinvent her business of 20 years or sell it and leave the Golden State to start fresh elsewhere.

Ultimately, she and her husband decided to return to her hometown of El Paso to start anew. While there was not a market for her former business in Texas, Johnson put her experience to work for her and her community by consulting with local businesses.

“I knew that coming back to Texas, being in a different market and not having the relationships that I had in California was a prime opportunity for me to get the credentials that I needed and wanted to pivot and reposition myself for my future, she said.”

While coaching a family through the sale of their business and the post-acquisition process, Johnson realized how big of a role that project management plays in ensuring the successful transition of business acquisition. This realization led to her decision to invest in her future by pursuing a master’s in project management.

Johnson began searching for online programs that would allow her to continue her work with local businesses, earn a master’s degree and receive the professional certifications she needs to take things to the next level. During her search, Sam Houston State University repeatedly popped up in her browser with one of the top online master’s of project management programs in the state.

Upon learning of her desired degree program being accredited and acclaimed, Johnson knew she wanted to be a Bearkat.

"The curriculum really reinforced a lot of the things that I have experienced and introduced me to scenarios and situations that I may encounter,” Johnson said. “It was also right on target with what I did to obtain my PMP certification prior to completing the program, and a lot of the material is in line with what the Project Management Institute actually requires and teaches, so that accreditation was so important and validating for me.”

Even though Johnson felt comfortable with much of the content included in her coursework, there were times she found herself in need of guidance. In these times of need, she was astounded at the level of support she received from the faculty and staff at SHSU, particularly her professors in the College of Business Administration (COBA).

“Pamela Zelbst is really good at nudging you along so that you can exercise yourself a little further, and it was really good for me to have that connection with her, as well as Carla Jones, Jason Riley and Robert Milner. It was great connecting with them, and they moved me along in certain areas, which was important,” she said.

Johnson’s professors saw her potential and brought her in on an ongoing project with NASA. The project, as part of a longstanding partnership between SHSU and NASA, sees COBA students formulate alternative uses for some of the space center’s technology. Working through the college’s Center for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship, Johnson serves as the entrepreneurial lead on a project to determine new ways to utilize the heat-protecting coating that NASA uses to keep its space shuttles from burning up in the atmosphere.

While her college journey is coming to a close, her work on the project is not quite finished. Johnson was asked to remain on the project as it moves into the next phase, which will involve more collaboration with the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps. Their next phase will involve carving out customer segments, performing customer validation, then moving forward to prototypes and testing.

All of the work she has done on the project, combined with the consistently warm reception she received from the SHSU community, brought the Bearkat experience to Johnson's home in El Paso and is something she will never forget.

“I have been a distance learner pretty much my entire adult life, but Sam Houston State has been an exceptional experience for me,” Johnson said. “When you’re doing distance learning, it’s just you, the computer and every now and then some interaction with the professor and hopefully one of your peers. But I have really enjoyed this experience so much because I feel like I am involved in a part of the community. That’s been a tremendous and very special gift that I didn’t expect to receive.”

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