William Johnson, a U.S. Air Force veteran, is a business area leader and senior vice president at Leidos. He is recognized for his dedication and commitment to his colleagues and for his impact across government and industry.

Johnson has led startups, turnarounds, and thousands of employees. After serving in the Air Force, he worked in roles supporting programs with the Air Force National Capital Region and the Department of Homeland Security.

He then became managing director of energy and environmental services and eventually founded a service-disabled veteran small business.

Now, as a senior vice president at Leidos, Johnson leads a 5,000-person and half-billion-dollar federal digital transformation business. He believes in creating an environment where his team members have equal opportunities. He values volunteerism and community outreach.

“I’d love to tell you that there’s some amazing thing that I did along the way to deserve this recognition, but I just did what I knew was the right thing every day. That sounds easy, but often, we get off course. I keep three words on my whiteboard in my office. Engineers all have that whiteboard for references when the waters are a little stormy.” Continuing, Johnson said the three words are pressure, persistence, and perseverance. “To all the emerging STEM professionals in the audience: can you stand the pressure of doing the right thing? Can you remain persistent about accomplishing your goals? Do you have the patience to persevere? God knows I’m still working on the patience.”