{"63466":{"#nid":"63466","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Alumni Spotlight: Retired Two-Star General Ron Johnson Leads NBA Refs","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERon Johnson (MS OR 1985), retired two-star general and graduate of the H. Milton Stewart\nSchool of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE), oversaw the Army Corps of\nEngineers\u2019 $18 billion reconstruction of Iraq in 2003 and 2004 and then\nsupervised the clean-up of the Gulf Coast after hurricane Katrina in 2005. Now\nJohnson is guiding\nthe nation\u0027s top basketball officials in his capacity as the NBA\u0027s senior vice\npresident of referee operations.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Johnson, his transition from the combat\ntheater to the basketball arena isn\u2019t as broad a leap as one might think. In\nfact, in a recent interview in the \u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ajc.com\/sports\/refereeing-the-nba-refs-750645.html\u0022\u003EAtlanta Journal Constitution\u003C\/a\u003E (AJC) \u003C\/em\u003EJohnson stated that, \u201cyou should never\nbe surprised that an industrial engineer [IE] is anywhere,\u201d particularly given\nISyE\u2019s status as the number-one ranked graduate program in industrial engineering\nin the nation. IEs take real-life situations, Johnson explains, \u201cand through\nour analytical talents, we make them better.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBelieving that the value of any level education at Georgia Tech, regardless of the field of study, is measured by the success of its graduates around the world, Johnson is committed to helping students pursue their goals at Tech and take their skills into the world. To that end, he has endowed two scholarships at Georgia Tech -- the Ronald L Johnson Scholarship for African American students who have financial needs and are pursuing a degree in the Stewart School of ISyE and the Ronald L Johnson Roll Call Scholarship Endowment Fund. Johnson shared that he feels blessed to have the opportunity to do this, and he thinks \u201cthat it is right to give back when I\u0027ve been blessed with so much.\u201d\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrior\nto earning his master\u0027s at Tech, Johnson graduated from the United States\nMilitary Academy at West Point, where\n he received a bachelor of science degree with a concentration in \nMathematics and Mechanical Engineering. \u0026nbsp;He is also a \u0022Jedi Warrior\u0022 \ngraduate of the Army\u0027s elite School of Advanced Military Studies, where \nhe earned a Master\u0027s in Strategic Planning. Johnson has received executive\nleadership and national security training at Harvard University, Gallup\nUniversity, George Washington University, the University of Virginia, and the\nCenter for Creative Leadership. He was an Army War College Fellow at the Joint\nCenter for Political and Economic Studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn\nthe interview that follows, Johnson explains how his IE degree has helped him\nboth in his military career and now in the NBA and what his relationship to\nGeorgia Tech means to him. \u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u0026nbsp;You have had quite an illustrious career as a two-star general and then with the Army Corps of Engineers before heading the\nNBA\u0027s referee operations. How has your IE degree helped you as a two-star\ngeneral and working in the Army Corps of Engineers? \u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ER.J.: \u003C\/strong\u003EI would like to think that my\nsuccesses from the day that I left GeorgiaTech to the day that I retired from\nthe military were somehow influenced by my experiences at Tech in many ways.\nThe diversity of the student body, the rigor of the Masters in OR program at\nTech -- all of that helped me. To be specific, as the Gulf Region division commander\nin the Corps, understanding a systems approach to a large-scale program\/project\nmanagement in Iraq made it clear that field commanders, government\nrepresentatives, and the Iraqis should have input to what we were doing IF this\nreconstruction was going to add value. Understanding how to synchronize all the\npieces of the nation\u0027s largest public engineering firm as the Deputy Commander\nGeneral (DCG) was key to success of the Corps. Also, as the DCG of the Corps, I\nwas the lead for our Lean Six Sigma efforts. \u0026nbsp;There is no doubt that my\ncredentials from West Point and Georgia Tech were key in making me desirable to\nboth Lockheed-Martin and the NBA.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u0026nbsp;How has your IE degree helped you do your job\nas the NBA\u2019s senior vice president of referee operations?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ER.J.: \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EGeorgia Tech has given me some quantitative skills\nthat are critical to evaluating our performance. Understanding what data tells\nyou, as well as what it does not is critical to success. Having the Operations\nResearch and Systems Analysis (OR SA) degree from Tech also gives me understanding that allows me to\ntake a systems approach in my position. In other words, it is important to seek\ninput from other basketball operations folks before implementing solutions or\neven making assessments\u003Cstrong\u003E.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u0026nbsp;Do you have a formal procedure for scheduling\nyour referees? If so, what is it?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ER.J.: \u003C\/strong\u003EWe do have a formal process in\nscheduling our referees that is not much different from how airlines crews are\nscheduled. We do not use the classic \u0022travelling salesman\u0022 algorithm,\nnor do we attempt to solve any linear programming scheduling problem because\nour crews have constraints and restraints that are not conducive to a simple\nsolution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u0026nbsp;What is your biggest challenge as the person\nresponsible for NBA referee operations?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ER.J.: \u003C\/strong\u003EThis is a leadership position.\nLeading a highly competent and specialized group of people is very difficult\nwhen you haven\u0027t done what they have done. What I do bring to the job is proven\nleadership\u0026nbsp;and a calm style that is necessary to deal with the emotions of\nour game.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: What are the logistics\nquestions\/issues in scheduling the NBA referees? \u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ER.J.: \u003C\/strong\u003EOf course there are logistical\nchallenges associated with getting crews in place. Many think that referees go\nto games where they live -- not true -- our NBA referees are rapidly deployable\nLeague-wide. They go where they are scheduled, regardless of where they live.\nWe are able to overcome some of the challenges of weather and flight\ncancellations by having work rules which require referees to be in place far in\nadvance of our games. Therefore we will know far enough in advance whether to\nsend in a replacement referee in the case of transport challenges or\ninjuries\/illness. The biggest advantage we have is the dedication of our\nofficials -- they will do whatever it takes to get to their games.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u0026nbsp;What motivated you to come to Georgia Tech to pursue\nyour graduate degree?\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ER.J.: \u003C\/strong\u003EI met a Georgia Tech professor,\nthe late Griffin Callahan, also a West Point graduate, and he sold me on the\nISyE\u0027s ORSA program.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u0026nbsp;Describe one of your most interesting moments\nat Tech?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ER.J.: \u003C\/strong\u003EThere are six -- the first was\nbeing admitted and accepted in a conditional status; the second was Tech basketball;\nthe third was graduation; the fourth was being named a Distinguished Grad; the\nfifth was meeting the young man who received my scholarship; and the sixth and\nmost recent is endowing my scholarship - forever.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u0026nbsp;In your interview with the AJC, you stated\nthat your education at Tech taught you how to think rather than what to think,\ncan you give me an example or tell me why this is important to you?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ER.J.: \u003C\/strong\u003EThis is a very important concept. There is a lot\nof \u0022training\u0022 that you can receive in the classroom that teaches you\nmethods of solutions to problems. All you need to do is to just do a lot of\nproblems. In my graduate education at Tech, we were often assigned problems\nthat had no simple or \u0022elegant\u0022 solutions. You had to know HOW TO\nTHINK about the problem and some possible ways of solving the problem based\nupon what you already knew. Knowing HOW to think allows people to find\nsolutions that are NEW. Knowing what to think oftentimes limits you to\nsolutions that already exist.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u0026nbsp;What advice would you give a student starting\nthe program today?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ER.J.: \u003C\/strong\u003ECarpe Diem! \u0026nbsp;You are getting a great\neducation and you can expand that education by getting involved in the entire\ncollege experience. Trust me \u2013 Georgia Tech is a great place to learn and a\ngreat place to expand your horizons. Get involved. Get to know your classmates\n- embrace the diversity at Tech. Your classmates will be leaders of industry\naround the world. The relationships you build today will be of great help to\nyou in the future.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: What do you read for pleasure\nand what are you reading now?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ER.J.: \u003C\/strong\u003EThe NBA Rule Book --\nI\u0027m still learning. \u0026nbsp;For pleasure, I just finished the \u003Cem\u003E52nd Floor - Thinking Deeply about\nLeadership\u003C\/em\u003E by David A. Levy, James E. Parco and Fred R. Blass; \u003Cem\u003EWith Honor in Hand\u003C\/em\u003E by Terron Sims; Outliers: The Story of Success\nby Malcolm Gladwell; and \u003Cem\u003EPrivate\u003C\/em\u003E by\nJames Patterson.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u0026nbsp;Finish this sentence: Few people know\nthat.......\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ER.J.: \u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;1. I am a\nvery private person.\u0026nbsp; 2. I work very hard\nevery day to get better.\u0026nbsp; 3. I go\nanaerobic Monday through Friday to improve my fitness (I work out instead of go\nto lunch each week day unless I\u0027m forced to attend a lunch meeting). 4. I won\u2019t\nfeel that I have been successful until I have the title \u0022Dr\u0022 in front\nof my name.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: Is there any one person\nwho has been an inspiration to you? If so, who, and how did they inspire\nyou?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ER.J.: \u003C\/strong\u003EI have three. CW4 (Ret) Don Lesch\n- he saw something in me that I never saw in myself and dared me to go to West\nPoint, which tricked me into actually doing it. Also -- every soldier and\ncivilian that I have ever had the privilege of leading -- they selflessly serve\njust to get it done. Finally - my son, Ian. He is learning how to become a man.\nHe does it in a very brave way and in his own way, but it scares me sometimes.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERon Johnson (MS OR 1985), retired two-star general and graduate of the H. Milton Stewart\nSchool of Industrial and Systems Engineering, oversaw the Army Corps of\nEngineers\u2019 $18 billion reconstruction of Iraq in 2003 and 2004 and then\nsupervised the clean-up of the Gulf Coast after hurricane Katrina in 2005. Now\nJohnson is guiding\nthe nation\u0027s top basketball officials in his capacity as the NBA\u0027s senior vice\npresident of referee operations.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Alumni Spotlight: Retired Two-Star General Ron Johnson Leads NBA Refs"}],"uid":"27328","created_gmt":"2011-01-13 11:47:20","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:07:57","author":"Edie Cohen","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-01-13T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2011-01-13T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"63361":{"id":"63361","type":"image","title":"General Ron Johnson (right) and General Kip Ward, AFRICOM Commander, at Johnson\u0027s retirement ceremony in March 2008.","body":null,"created":"1449176690","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:04:50","changed":"1475894557","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:42:37","alt":"General Ron Johnson (right) and General Kip Ward, AFRICOM Commander, at Johnson\u0027s retirement ceremony in March 2008.","file":{"fid":"191812","name":"Retirement.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Retirement_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Retirement_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":96522,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Retirement_0.jpg?itok=G3wWo60A"}},"63362":{"id":"63362","type":"image","title":"(Left to Right) Ron Johnson with his son, Ian, and nephew, Doug Jackson, at Johnson\u0027s first All Star game in Phoenix in 2009.","body":null,"created":"1449176690","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:04:50","changed":"1475894557","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:42:37","alt":"(Left to Right) Ron Johnson with his son, Ian, and nephew, Doug Jackson, at Johnson\u0027s first All Star game in Phoenix in 2009.","file":{"fid":"191813","name":"With_son,_nephew.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/With_son%2C_nephew_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/With_son%2C_nephew_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":105576,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/With_son%2C_nephew_0.jpg?itok=Ebh8sdq_"}},"63360":{"id":"63360","type":"image","title":"Ron Johnson (seated third from left) talking with his five-year-old godson, Eli Easley, at a Wilmington, North Carolina, book panel. Standing is Eli\u0027s mohter, Tara Easley (Mrs Hawaii International 2002).","body":null,"created":"1449176690","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:04:50","changed":"1475894557","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:42:37","alt":"Ron Johnson (seated third from left) talking with his five-year-old godson, Eli Easley, at a Wilmington, North Carolina, book panel. Standing is Eli\u0027s mohter, Tara Easley (Mrs Hawaii International 2002).","file":{"fid":"191811","name":"fJohnson_with_Godson.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fJohnson_with_Godson_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fJohnson_with_Godson_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":82269,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/fJohnson_with_Godson_0.jpg?itok=jb-cdnni"}}},"media_ids":["63361","63362","63360"],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"}],"keywords":[{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"426","name":"isye"},{"id":"1615","name":"ron johnson"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:barbara.christopher@isye.gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBarbara \nChristopher\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIndustrial and Systems Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404.385.3102\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}