JARVIS D. JOHNSON

D.A.R.E. PLUS PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Jarvis Johnson has dedicated his life to making a difference in the lives of those around him by working for positive change that empowers the community and improves the lives of its citizens.

While attending Texas State University, Johnson accepted the position of Executive Director for Phoenix Outreach Youth Center in Houston’s 5th Ward. Not content to serve Houston alone, Johnson joined the International Traveling Classroom taking students on college tours to Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the United States, as well as Senegal and Gambia, West Africa.

Following graduation in 1997, he accepted the position as Program Director for the National D.A.R.E. PLUS Program. Under his leadership at D.A.R.E., Jarvis focused his efforts on supporting local schools and worked to keep youth engaged in various after school programs which reached over 1,000 youth. While the program was suspended several years later, Johnson has again teamed up with D.A.R.E. to launch a new D.A.R.E. PLUS program that will also create K-12 student councils and CTE programs for high school students to ensure they have a pathway to trade and vocational certifications before graduation.

In 2005, Jarvis Johnson was elected to the Houston City Council to serve District B, making him one of the youngest Council Members in history. One of his first duties to his district was to ensure people from District B’s local community were hired on major projects as he concurrently worked to inject the district with economic activities from new projects. As a Council Member he secured a $3.5 million federal grant to establish a performing arts division for TSU to refurbish the historic Deluxe Theater in the 5th Ward.

In May 2016, Johnson was elected to serve as the State Representative for District 139. Representative Johnson has focused on enhancing vocational training for students across the state, increasing mental health resources, and improving the criminal justice system. His previous experience with Phoenix Outreach Youth Center and D.A.R.E. PLUS built the foundation needed to be a successful legislator.

During the 85th Legislative Session, Representative Johnson focused his legislative efforts on criminal and juvenile justice reform; enhancing Texas’ public education system; increasing opportunities and protections for Texas’ youth and senior citizens; strengthening police accountability; and addressing mental health needs across the state.

During the 86th Legislative Session Representative Johnson focused on improving the lives of Texans’ living with sickle cell disease; increasing transparency of the foster care-to-prison pipeline, and creating more mental health resources for peace officers.