Garrett W. Johnson (born May 24, 1984) is an American entrepreneur and award-winning

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

ter. Johnson won the 2006 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Shot Put Championship, and was also named a

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international Postgraduate education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Esta ...

in 2006 on behalf of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He is the cofounder and currently serves as Chairman of the Foundation for American Innovation. Johnson is also Cofounder and chief operating officer of Hydra Host, a startup valued at $500m backed by Peter Theil.

Career

Upon graduation from Oxford, Johnson served as a staffer for the Senate's Committee on Foreign Relations. In 2011, along with Ash Rust and John Fallone, Johnson co-founded SendHub a text message marketing company. In 2014, Johnson co-founded the Lincoln Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Academic

Garrett Johnson was the

salutatorian Salutatorian is an academic title given in Armenia, the Philippines, Canada, Afghanistan and the United States to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. ...

in the 2002 graduating class at Tampa Baptist Academy in Tampa, Florida, where he won multiple state championships. Johnson was a student in the FSU Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE), beginning in the Summer of 2002. He attended FSU, graduating

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

in three years with a double major in

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and English. Johnson was named an academic All-American in 2005 and 2006 and earned the

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

Golden Torch Award given to the FSU

student-athlete Student athlete (or student–athlete) is a term used principally in universities in the United States and Canada to describe students enrolled at postsecondary educational institutions, principally colleges and universities, but also at sec ...

with the highest

GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...

. Johnson, a scholar athlete, was named to the FSU Dean's list with a 3.5 GPA or better and the FSU President's list with a 4.0 GPA throughout his undergraduate career. Johnson completed a master's degree in migration studies as a 2006

at Exeter College,

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

Track and field

Shot Put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

* 2006,

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Indoor National Champion (

) * 2006,

Outdoor National Champion (

) * 2008, Oxford University club record Johnson was coached by Harlis Meaders. Johnson was a finalist in the 2008 USA Track & Field Olympic Trials, but failed to post a mark, fouling on all attempts.

Personal life

Johnson resides in Florida and has been married since 2014. He serves on the board of directors of the Foundation for Florida's Future. Additionally, he is an advisor for the Cicero Institute, and a Steering Committee Member of the Tech Talent Project.

Awards

* 2004 Seminole Impact Award * 2004–2005 ESPN The Magazine Second-Team Academic All America * 2005 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar * 2005–2006 ESPN The Magazine University Academic All American of the Year * 2005–2006 ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All America * 2006 Rhodes Scholar * 2006

USTFCCCA The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a New Orleans–based non-profit professional association representing men's and women's cross country and track & field coaches in the United States. The organization incl ...

Division I National Outdoor Men's Field Co-Athlete of the Year * 2007 Inaugural Frank Dolson/Penn Relays Award

References

External links

*
Garrett Johnson's Official USA Track & Field Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Garrett 1984 births African-American track and field athletes American Rhodes Scholars American male shot putters Florida State Seminoles men's track and field athletes Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 Pan American Games