Recently, the Dr. Sandra Johnson Legacy Award was presented at the BEYA STEM Conference to Makita R. Phillips, a structural analyst at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Like Johnson, Phillips is the first Black woman to obtain a Ph.D. in an engineering field.
Johnson was the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering in the United States, inspiring students from around the world.
In 2024, Marsha Reeves Jew discussed Johnson's achievements during an interview on STEM City USA. The interview focused on Johnson's biography, "Soft Power for the Journey: The Life of a STEM Trailblazer," which authentically portrays a technology trailblazer's inner strength, boldness, wisdom, and strong faith.
Johnson's story aims to encourage, inspire, and uplift a broad audience.
Calvin Lawrence, an IBM CTO and author of the best-selling book "Hidden in White Sight: How AI Empowers and Deepens Systemic Racism," describes Johnson's book as an inspiring tale of overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
This week, Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge announced that Johnson, a Southern University alumna who became the first Black woman to receive a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Rice University, visited the John B. Cade Library to discuss her book, "Soft Power for the Journey."
Southern University reported that the event ignited meaningful discussions about resilience, representation, and the importance of mentorship.
Each year at the BEYA STEM Conference, the Legacy Awards are presented to individuals who have volunteered in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) community and have shown excellence in the STEM workforce.
These awards honor the contributions of men and women who have received the Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) since its inception in 1987. For over five years, the Engineering Deans Breakfast at BEYA has served as the venue for special recognition, where honorees receive the Legacy Awards.
At IBM, Johnson held several roles, including Chief Technology Officer, research staff member, WebSphere database development manager, and Linux performance architect and manager. Johnson is also a member of the IBM Academy of Technology, an IBM Master Inventor with both pending and issued patents, an author of over 80 technical publications and books, and a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
***This article was first published in June 2024 and updated in November 2025.