Meet Dean Johnson

Dean Twinette Johnson doesn’t rush her words. She speaks with a certainty that makes you lean in. It’s the kind of presence that feels equal part conversation and equal part calling. This is the warmth of someone genuinely interested in you, paired with the clarity of a leader who knows exactly why she’s here.

At Saint Louis University School of Law, her story is one of persistence, vision, and balance. She entered the role with a scholar’s heart and a teacher’s instinct, carrying with her the deep empathy that comes from being a first-generation law student. That perspective has never left her. It informs her leadership and the way she sees her students, faculty, and the broader community. In her words, leadership at this level means “fueling while you fly,” and that phrase sets the stage for her approach to a deanship that demands constant motion, adaptability, and courage.

Raised with the example of hard work and determination, Johnson always carried her identity as a first-generation law student with her. That said, her path to becoming dean of Saint Louis University School of Law is anything but a straight line.

Her career began not in administration but in the classroom, where she thrived on the back-and-forth of teaching and mentoring. “I loved teaching,” she reflects, describing the energy of working with students as they discover the law’s complexity and power.

She smiles when she talks about those early years. “I’ve taught and advised at every stage,” she says, from the very first semester of law school all the way to the anxious weeks before the bar exam. For Johnson, those weren’t just jobs; they were training grounds for a lifetime in legal education.

“I was really passionate about making sure students had the tools they needed to be successful in law school and beyond,” she recalls. “That meant teaching them how to think like lawyers, but also how to believe in themselves as lawyers.”

For Johnson, that commitment isn’t abstract. It’s rooted in her own journey through Saint Louis University. This is the place where her mom first dropped her off as a student, trusting the school to take care of her; where she began building the foundation for her career; and where she would later stand at the front of a classroom for the first time. “I don’t think my heart has ever left St. Louis,” she says. Maybe that’s why, after years leading and teaching in other corners of the country, she felt drawn back, not to relive the past but to keep the momentum going while charting a higher course ahead.

Coming back to SLU in 2024 as a law dean was, in Johnson’s words, “a homecoming of sorts.” And yet, it’s also a new chapter, one that she approaches with a clear sense of purpose.  Transforming lives,” she says, without hesitation, when asked to describe the role of higher education in society. “That’s what we’re doing. We’re transforming lives.”

Johnson is quick to connect that transformation to the law school’s downtown location, something she sees as more than geographic convenience. “Being here means we are part of the city’s daily life,” she explains. Basically, students here can see firsthand how law interacts with community, policy, business—all of it. “The clinics just finished celebrating 50 years of service,” she says, “[and] the students have the opportunity under the tutelage of a professor attorney to represent clients. And so, they get that real-world experience. And I think for a lot of students, it’s what they come to law school for, right?” It’s no accident that she emphasizes clinics. Johnson’s career has been shaped by hands-on legal education, by the belief that students learn best when they’re engaged in the real work of law.

Johnson believes SLU LAW is inseparable from the city it calls home. With courthouses, firms, nonprofits and the city government all within reach of campus, students gain an unparalleled opportunity to put theory into practice. This is a school where you don’t have to wait until graduation to see how the law affects people’s lives. That accessibility echoes SLU’s Jesuit tradition of service, which has long shaped the school’s efforts. For Johnson, those values are not window dressing; they’re the foundation for how students grow into attorneys who see the profession as both a career and a calling.

And they’re the same values that guide her approach as a leader. Her style, she says, is grounded in listening and collaboration. She is very clear about the fact that she doesn’t have all the answers. She emphasizes listening — really listening—to the voices around her: faculty with decades of experience, staff who know the institution’s daily rhythm, and students whose perspectives keep the school future-facing. She wants to hear from students, faculty, alumni, and staff. Her job is to lead, but it is also to bring out the best in everyone around her.

Dean Johnson is also deeply aware of the larger context in which she’s leading—the legal profession’s diversity challenges, the political climate, and the societal debates over access to justice. As one of a relative few Black women serving as law school deans nationwide, she sees representation as essential. “It’s important for students, especially students of color, especially women, to see themselves in leadership roles,” she says. “It changes what they believe is possible.”

She’s brought that DNA here, a place she describes as mission-driven at its core, not just because of its Jesuit, Catholic identity but because of the way that faith-based commitment is lived out in service, community, and care for the whole person. For Johnson, returning wasn’t just a career move; it was a calling. She came back to lead a community she believes can make a difference — in the courtroom, in the city, and in the lives of every student who walks through its doors.

When asked about how the legal field is shifting, Johnson didn’t hesitate to acknowledge the pace of change. “We’re preparing students for a profession that may look very different in years to come,” she said. For her, the challenge is both exciting and sobering, building a curriculum that reflects today’s realities while also anticipating tomorrow’s unknowns.

She sees alumni as a vital part of this evolution. She wants them to view themselves not just as observers but as active partners—mentors, donors, advocates, champions. “Our alumni are some of our most important partners,” she says. “They know what it takes to get through this program and succeed in the profession. They can inspire our students beyond the classroom.”

And while she’s quick to talk about the needs of the law school community, she’s equally passionate about its potential. She spoke about the school’s momentum and the opportunity to build on its strengths, from supporting students and faculty to strengthening alumni connections. For her, the work ahead is about weaving those threads together in a way that makes the community stronger and more impactful.

Johnson doesn’t pretend the challenges ahead are small. The cost of legal education, the pressures of the profession, the pace of change in the law itself—these are real hurdles. But she also believes SLU LAW is uniquely positioned to meet them. Johnson has often emphasized that this is a place where community matters and where students are encouraged to think about how they will use their degree to help others. That commitment to service and reflection on values resonates deeply with the school’s Catholic tradition, which asks students and faculty alike to consider not only what kind of lawyers they want to be but what kind of impact they want to have on the world.

For Johnson, legacy isn’t about personal credit. It’s about the community she serves. She highlighted the strength of the students, the readiness they carry into their careers, and the lift the school provides to help them take flight. That ongoing story of graduates prepared to soar is what she hopes will endure.

Hers is a story about the power of empathy, the importance of community, and the courage it takes to guide an institution through change. And woven through it all is the reminder that leadership isn’t about waiting for the perfect conditions. It’s about moving forward with vision and resolve, even mid-flight.

Johnson concludes, “We are the ones who are helping our communities, leading in these communities. We are the ones who are supporting and uplifting the rule of law. We are the ones who are champions of justice. They come from this school. They come from Saint Louis University School of Law.”

This article was originally published in the SLU LAW Brief alumni magazine issue 2025.