Lin Johnson III
Chief Strategy, Growth, & Finance Officer
Lin Johnson III is the Chief Strategy, Growth, and Finance Officer at TNTP, where he leads our organizational and growth strategies, business operations, development and fundraising, finance, and technology to broaden our reach and deepen our impact, growth, and organizational health.
Before joining TNTP, Lin served as the Chief Financial Officer and then as the Deputy Superintendent of Finance & Strategic Operations at Shelby County Schools in Memphis, Tennessee’s most extensive urban school district. During this time, he led a number of innovative projects, including investments in high-quality curricula and advanced placement course expansion, the implementation of an equitable funding model, increased wages for teachers, and a community budget campaign securing recurring operational funds.
Lin brings diverse experiences across the K-12 education ecosystem. Lin was a Fellow in the Office of School Portfolio for Chicago Public Schools. Also, Lin served as a Program Officer for the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, where he led the K-12 Education grant portfolio of charter schools, parent empowerment organizations, and education enablers and innovators. In the summer of 2020, Lin served as a K-12 Education Summer Associate for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Previously, Lin served as the Director of Special Projects at the Tennessee Department of Education in Nashville, where he developed the agency’s first budget book, aligning the budget with strategic priorities. Prior to his work in Tennessee, Lin served on the D.C. Public Charter School Board as the Director of Finance and Operations, overseeing financial growth and fiscal accountability for a portfolio of charter school campuses.
Lin holds a B.A. in Economics from Reed College, an M.A. in Business Administration (MBA) from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an M.A. in Public Administration (MPA) from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Doctoral in Education Leadership (Ed. L.D.) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Lin also serves as a Board Director for several nonprofit organizations, including KIPP Memphis, First 8 Memphis, Mosaic Changemakers, and Tennessee Charter School Center.
Imali Ariyarathne, seventh-grade teacher at Langston Hughes Academy, introduces her students to the captivating world of science.
About TNTP
TNTP is the nation’s leading research, policy, and consulting organization dedicated to transforming America’s public education system, so that every generation thrives.
Today, we work side-by-side with educators, system leaders, and communities across 39 states and over 6,000 districts nationwide to reach ambitious goals for student success.
Yet the possibilities we imagine push far beyond the walls of school and the education field alone. We are catalyzing a movement across sectors to create multiple pathways for young people to achieve academic, economic, and social mobility.