Empowering the Youth: Deborah Tompkins Johnson

Deborah Tompkins Johnson (’78) believes in the power of faith and positive interactions. It’s what guides her in her career with Dominion Virginia Power and in her charitable work in Northern Virginia, which includes serving as a member of the board of directors for Youth for Tomorrow, a Christian organization that serves troubled youth in the region.

“Everyone has their trauma and their trauma might not be my trauma, but the thing is to get through it and then communicate to others how you got through it and encourage them that they can get through it, too,” she says. Johnson is also the author of the book How Did They Do That?: Career Highlights, Triumphs and Challenges (2013), in which she profiles a diverse group of men and women who rose to the top of their respective fields through a regimen of self-discipline, faith and determination.

Before joining Dominion, Johnson worked in radio and as a reporter, anchor and producer with the ABC television affiliate in Richmond, Virginia. She was a Student Ambassador at Madison and co-founder of the Black Alumni Chapter. Johnson currently sits on the JMU Board of Visitors.