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Christopher L. Johnson
Chief Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Belonging Officer
Lexington, KY
Louisville, KY
Chief Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Belonging Officer
Lexington, KY
Louisville, KY
As Chief Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Belonging Officer, Chris leads the firm’s initiatives and goals in the areas of workplace experience, client and community engagement, workforce representation, as well as firmwide inclusion and belonging efforts. In this role, Chris partners with key stakeholders, firm leaders, business professionals and other supporters and champions to conceptualize, implement and drive impact related to the policies, procedures, systems and practices necessary to advance these efforts on behalf of the people, clients and communities served by FBT. Chris believes key pillars like Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Belonging, along with values like strong corporate social responsibility and community engagement, are essential for creating workplaces and communities where everyone feels included, seen, heard and valued. These principles also guide FBT’s ongoing commitment to being leaders among those in its community footprint.
Chris has an extensive background in diversity education, community engagement, recruitment and retention, as well as strategic planning and outreach initiatives. He has been a presenter of numerous workshops and training sessions on advancing a culture of belonging, authentic leadership, communication, advancing cultural competency, embracing diversity and shaping communities and culture. In addition to his time as an educator, recruiter, strategist and advocate, Chris has championed various professional initiatives to open the doors of education, opportunity and leadership development for all.
Chris’ professional portfolio includes strategy advancement, classroom teaching, community outreach and curriculum development and design. Previously, Chris served as Director of Inclusion and Diversity and as Interim Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer at Humana Inc. During Chris’s time as Director and interim Chief I&D Officer, Humana was twice named to Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity list and ranked among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc, including landing at No. 9 in 2022 and No. 13 in 2021 (from No. 42 in 2019) among other recognitions. Before joining Humana, Chris served as Executive Director for the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Office of Diversity, Equality, and Training from 2016 to 2019. During his time in public service, he was able to significantly increase external partnerships and collaboration with private-sector businesses and educational institutions on behalf of the state’s executive branch agencies.
Chris has been named among the 2023 Most Influential Executives in Diversity and Inclusion by Savoy Magazine. In November 2022, he was recognized as a Top 15 Global Diversity Champion by Diversity Global Magazine. Additionally, Louisville Business First recognized Chris as an “Executive to Know.” A lover of total health and fitness, Chris enjoys all forms of exercise including cycling, running and team sports. He is a voracious consumer of news and an avid reader. He enjoys social media, food, music and fun.
Prior to joining the Frost Brown Todd team, Chris served as the Director of Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) at Humana Inc. from May 2019 to February 2022. He also served a stint as Humana’s interim Chief I&D Officer. Chris led strategy development across a number of I&D initiatives, including implementing a data-driven approach to measuring and advancing cultural competency and advancing Humana’s diverse talent strategy. Chris was also the lead point of contact at Humana for many of the I&D-related community engagement and partnership efforts, including Humana’s partnership with the One Ten Coalition, Integrating Women Leaders Foundation, DiversityInc, Leadership Louisville, and the Derby Equity & Community Initiative, among many others.
During Chris’s time as Director and interim Chief I&D Officer, Humana was twice named to Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity list and ranked among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc, including landing at No. 13 in 2021 (up from No. 42 in 2019), among other recognitions. In addition, Chris was instrumental in advancing mentoring across the enterprise, culminating in record mentorship participation rates over a two-year period. Check out Humana’s I&D Annual Report to learn more.
Chris served as the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s senior EEO, Diversity and Inclusion official from 2016 to 2019. In that role, he was responsible for the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and programs to promote progressive statewide workforce management in the areas of Equal Employment Opportunity, retention, inclusion, diversity and employee training and development.
During his time in public service, Chris was able to significantly increase external partnerships and collaboration with private sector businesses and educational institutions on behalf of the Personnel Cabinet and other executive branch agencies. Additionally, his leadership led to a dramatic shift in engagement with the annual Diversity and Leadership Conference (now called the Governor’s LEAD Conference), resulting in a more than 200% increase in attendance from 2016 to 2019.
University of Louisville, B.A.
Accelerating Change Readiness and Agility Credential, UC Berkeley
2023 Most Influential Executives in Diversity & Inclusion, Savoy Magazine (view profile)
Top 15 Champion of Diversity, Diversity Global Magazine, 2022 (view profile)
Health Care Fellow, Health Enterprises Network, 2021
DEI Champion, Nation Diversity in Leadership Conference, 2020, 2021
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Taskforce, Kentucky Chamber Foundation
Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Health Enterprises Network
Derby Equity & Community Initiative, Kentucky Derby Festival
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Belonging Committee, Member
Women’s Initiative Committee, Member
Legal Personnel Committee, Member
Partner Personnel Committee, ex-officio Member
Associate Personnel Committee, ex-officio Member
“DE&I Series: Were Are We Now,” Greater Louisville Inc., February 2023
“The Bridge to Belonging,” NKY Chamber Women’s Initiative Regional Summit, November 2022
“Culture Matters: Why What Got Us Here Won’t Take Us There,” Keynote, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, October 2022 (read recap)
“Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Legal Industry: How Are Law Firms Doing When it Comes to Diversity?,” Leopard Solutions, September 2022 (watch recording)
“Beyond the DE&I Acronym: Ten Tips for a Successful and Legally Compliant Program,” 43rd Annual Institute, Energy & Mineral Law Foundation, June 2022
“The DEI Dream: What Will It Take To Make It Last,” Derby Diversity Week & Business Summit, May 2022
“Formal Mentoring Program Best Practices,” A Conversation with Top Diversity Leaders: Driving Business Impact, DiversityInc
“How Male Allies Can Help Advance Women in the Workplace,” Advancing Women’s Leadership Skills and Opportunities in Pharma and Healthcare Conference, Dynamic Global Events, Sept. 2021
“GDL: Meet Chris Johnson, Humana’s Director of Inclusion & Diversity,” WHAS 11, Feb. 2021 (watch video)
“Private Sector Conversation,” 2019 Competitive City Report: The Flow of Community Investment, Greater Louisville Project, 2019
“The Case for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion,” profiled and quoted in Northern Kentucky Business Journal, pg. 8, March 2023 (view article)
“Leading with Data and Leaning in to Authenticity,” Savoy Magazine, February 2023 (view article)
Racial Equity Pledge: 2022 Annual Report, quoted by Greater Louisville Inc., p. 4, December 2022 (view report)
“People to Know: New Executives,” profiled and quoted in Louisville Business First, December 2022 (view article)
“A for Effort: How Local Companies Earn Top Marks for LGBTQ Inclusion,” quoted in Cincinnati Business Courier, July 2022 (view article)
“Equity and inclusion are building a better Louisville,” quoted in The Lane Report, June 2021 (view article)
“DE&I Preview: Humana’s Christopher Johnson on the importance of belonging,” quoted in Louisville Business First, Nov. 2020 (view article)
Publication: Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce (pg. 8)
Publish Date: March 9, 2023
Publication: The Bottom Line (KY Chamber of Commerce)
October 12, 2022
June 15, 2022
February 14, 2022