Monica Johnson
Monica Johnson is the founder and Executive Director of
H.E.R.O.E.S. (Helping Everyone Receive Ongoing Effective Support), a peer-based
and peer-driven organization whose mission is to provide HIV education to
people at-risk and to provide supportive services for HIV-infected individuals
and their families with primary focus on women and children.
Through her HEROES organization, Monica has founded several original
programs. Mind, Body, and Soul University (MBSU) is a treatment education program
designed to educate, support, and empower women living with HIV/AIDS. The Teens in Motivational Education (TIME)
peer education program, which has reached more than 2500 high-risk youth, is a
teen pregnancy prevention program that utilizes a holistic approach to
encourage youth to make informed choices that promote healthy decisions. Keyah is a general health education program
targeting African American women in rural communities.
Monica serves on many boards and committees including the
Louisiana Governor’s Commission on HIV/AIDS, National Minority AIDS Council Board
of Directors, LSU Community Advisory Committee, and the Region VIII Community
Planning Group. She also serves as an advisor for many national conferences
around the United States.
Monica attended Northeast
Louisiana University
where she received a Bachelors of Science Degree in Medical Technology. She is also the recipient of the John Ramsey
Memorial Award for Clinical Laboratory Science. Monica is the mother of a
fourteen year old son Avery who also enjoys assisting his mom’s HIV/AIDS youth
education programs. Known for her
fondness of children, Monica enjoys playing, traveling, listening to music, and
eating.
