Featured Falcons: Dr. Gary Johnson

April 23, 2025

What is your name and current title with the University of Montevallo?
Dr. Gary R. Johnson, assistant professor of marketing in the Stephens College of Business.

Where are you from and what city do you currently reside in?
I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and moved to Birmingham in fourth grade. I grew up in Vestavia Hills and have resided in Homewood, Alabama, since 2001.

If you hold any degrees, what are they in and from what schools?
A Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a Master of Arts in Marketing from The University of Alabama, and a Doctor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of South Florida.

How long have you worked here? 
I’ve worked at UM since Jan. 7, 2013. I’m starting my 13th year at UM.

Did you hold any previous positions here? If so, what are they?
I have had a varied career at UM. I started in 2013 as the director of annual giving and moved later that year to be the comprehensive campaign director. I started teaching as a marketing adjunct faculty member in the Stephens College of Business in fall 2013.

In spring 2018, Dean Stephen Craft asked me to serve as the director of the Grainger Center for Professional Development and as an instructor of marketing in the Stephens College of Business. In spring 2019, I also added the role of director of the MBA Program to my responsibilities

I finished my doctorate in December 2019 and moved to the role I’m currently in as an assistant professor of marketing in the Stephens College of Business. In 2022, this became my only job! I am no longer working with the Grainger Center or the MBA program and can now completely focus on teaching.

What brought you to Montevallo?
I love this story. I was helping a friend at their table at the Moss Rock Art Festival in fall 2012. I ran into a friend of mine, Laurl Self, that I worked with at Time Warner (Southern Progress) who was exhibiting some of her art at the festival. Laurl was the president of the UM National Alumni Association at the time. I shared with her that I was interviewing in higher education for a job in fundraising. She encouraged me to consider UM and recommended me to the UM Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs. It really is because of my chance encounter with my longtime friend and former colleague, Laurl, that my career and my life changed.

What’s the best thing about working for Montevallo?
I am fortunate I’ve had the chance to see our full enterprise and mission at work. I’ve worked with and gotten to know our amazing alumni around the country during my time working in fundraising in Advancement. I’ve also had the incredible opportunity to work with our hard-working staff across campus. Then you add in my time teaching and working with our incredible students and you have the full trifecta of the UM experience. I truly consider myself fortunate to have seen our entire enterprise at work. While I am not a UM alum, I feel passionate about telling people what a special place UM is because I have seen it firsthand.

During my time in Advancement, I heard from many alumni about why they love UM and want our students to succeed. I’ve seen the hard work of our staff who recruit our students, house our students, develop our students and support our students in so many ways. Then I have seen firsthand the role and importance of our faculty in educating, motivating and inspiring our students to reach their dream of a college degree and start their future career pursuits.

Do you have any interesting stories about one of your favorite experiences here?
I had several wonderful experiences working with our alumni on visits and at alumni events. I think some of my favorite memories were working with our student callers when they were calling to ask alumni for support of the UM Annual Fund. It was fun to hear their stories about speaking with our alumni and their success when they secured a gift to UM.

I also start most of my classes with ’80s music and a “dad joke.” Yes, they are usually pretty bad, but my students indulge me. I especially enjoy when students come prepared with their own joke.

What’s your proudest accomplishment since being at UM?
One of the proudest moments I have is when a former student emails or texts me and shares with me that they are discussing in their first job after graduation the same concepts and topics they learned about in my classes.

It is also always fulfilling when a student shares with me their news about their first job after graduation or new career achievements as they continue in their profession.

I’m also proud of my classroom experiences that encourage students to develop their soft skills with communication, collaboration and critical thinking. You don’t get to just sit in my classroom and listen. My students participate and are engaged in the coursework from the first class.

Are you currently working on or have you recently completed any interesting projects?
This past February, I coached the Stephens College of Business’s first-ever student sales team that competed in an intercollegiate sales competition at the University of South Florida. The students are majoring in marketing with a concentration in sales and competed in what is known as the “toughest test in sales education.” The competition hosted over 150 students from 34 schools in 21 states. The students competed in seven rounds that span the entire sale process, including prospecting, networking, discovery and the sales meeting. Junior Hudson Choquette placed in the Winner’s Circle and placed sixth overall in his competition flight. The other UM students were Brandon Berry, Parker O’Bryan and Michael Witherup.

Why do you belong at Montevallo?
I am a third-generation educator, but the first 16 years of my career I never thought my career would take me in the direction of teaching. I did not set out to pursue a doctorate and become a full-time marketing professor, but it is the best job of my career. I owe this opportunity to President Stewart, Lanny McMinn, Dr. Harry Hamilton and former SCOB Dean Dr. Stephen Craft, who encouraged me and supported me to pursue my doctorate. I’ve had some amazing jobs in my career, but there is nothing better than working with our students to help them expand their knowledge and to build the important skills they need to succeed in their career.

I belong at UM because I have a passion for teaching and helping our students to succeed. UM offers one of the best classroom experiences for our students and our faculty. Our classroom environment allows me to get to know my students and to show them I’m invested in their future success and build a relationship with them that extends beyond graduation. I encourage anyone to come sit in one of my classes and see for yourself what incredible students we have at UM.

Anything else you want to say?
I have a policy that after the first class of the semester, I will know each student by name. If I don’t, I will award bonus points on the first test. I have only given away bonus points twice during my time teaching. I feel it is important that faculty get to know their students quickly so they can start building that connection in the classroom and engage students early in the semester with the course content.

I always end my classes each semester with “Dr. Johnson’s Pearls of Wisdom.” The one takeaway I want my students to remember when they start their career is to pay it forward. I am in my current role and doing what I love because people paid it forward for me. I ask when our students graduate and are in a position that they pay it forward to someone else. We many times think there is no power in the number “one,” but one person can truly make a difference. I hope each time I teach I have a positive influence on one or more of my students and hope my work at UM will help them to realize their dreams and goals.