After the national organization restructured and closed the regional offices, he served as executive director of the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP.
During his tenure, the Georgia State Conference NAACP fought successfully in alliance with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) during the 2006 midterm elections to gain a federal court injunction that prevented voter identification legislation from being implemented.
Opponents of the legislation argued that it was a violation of the Voting Rights Act and expressed concern that it might have the effect of reducing minority voter participation.
[2] As regional director, Johnson worked to strengthen the NAACP's legal and political influence in the deep South through the establishment of "Citizen Review Boards".
On behalf of the NAACP Southeast Region, Johnson opposed a bill to establish April as Confederate History and Heritage Month, arguing that the state had never apologized for slavery.
After the President and CEO Bruce S. Gordon resigned, the NAACP announced on June 1, 2007, it would restructure, closing the regional offices to emphasize roles of the state conferences.
[2] On October 5, 2013, at the 71st annual NAACP Georgia State Convention and Civil Rights Conference in Columbus, Johnson was designated as the organization's next president.
"[7] In a news release issued by the NAACP, Leon Russell, the vice chairman of the organization's Board of Directors, said: "You can't look at young folks and say you're going to be the leaders of the future.
(Johnson) walks in the footsteps of the greats, including Savannah's Ralph Mark Gilbert and W.W. Law; Macon's Julius Caesar Hope; and Madison's Walter Curtis Butler.
"[7] As president, Johnson worked across partisan lines on criminal justice reform including sentencing, probation and parole, and banning the box in state employment.
At the same time, he sparred with Republican Nathan Deal over a lack of diversity in judicial picks for Georgia's courts and the State's failure to expand medicaid.
The group launched teach-ins, public demonstrations and led more than 72 clergy and other citizens in acts of civil disobedience to dramatize a swath of what many believed was a right-winged ALEC inspired agenda that included the state's failure to expand medicaid, draconian drug laws, discriminatory stances toward the GBLTQ community and "Stand Your Ground" legislation.
[8] Johnson stepped down from his post on July 23, 2017, and was immediately rumored as a possible challenger to Congressman Rick Allen (R-Augusta) in the 2018 midterms eventually deciding to run for the seat.
"[9] Johnson was named to succeed Stacey Abrams and Raphael Warnock as head of The New Georgia Project, a transformational civic engagement organization responsible for defeating voter suppression and advancing progressive values in the public policy.
[10] On October 8, 2024, Capital B published an investigative report placing responsibility for the organization's decline on Johnson's interference in day-to-day operations and neglectful governance.
While there, Johnson worked to develop strategies to overcome racial, ethnic and gender health disparities and to strengthen diversity within the organization's operations.