Natasha Johnson

Natasha Johnson joined the Recreation team on Nov. 10, 2014.

Natasha Johnson serves as the associate athletic director for Recreation. In this position, Johnson oversees NIU Recreation programs for adventures, business operations, fitness, intramurals, nutrition marketing, personal training, recreation facilities and sport clubs.

Johnson first joined NIU Recreation, as the associate director of business and her responsibilities included directing all aspects of human resources and the business office operations including developing the annual budget and serving as the liaison between the department and the university's financial offices. In August of 2020, she was promoted to assistant athletic director of human resources and finance administration. In July of 2021, she was promoted again to assistant athletic director of Recreation where she began to oversee the day-to-day operations of the department.

Prior to coming to NIU, Johnson managed several accounting and tax firm offices. Her experience with numbers and data has positioned Recreation to go through a transformational change where the overall student experience is at the center of every decision they make.

Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a minor in marketing. She later received a master's degree in management information systems, and later went on to complete a second master's degree in business administration (MBA) all from Northern Illinois University. She also holds certifications in management information systems and service management. Johnson is also a certified CPR/first aid instructor.

Johnson, a native of Toledo, Ohio, loves to look at glass art and spend time with family. This includes watching many movies with her husband, Sean. They have four children, Keyon, Seantae, Noah and Alexis. Her current hobbies include traveling with her youngest daughter, Lexi and helping others. Johnson hopes to open a community soup kitchen to offer free meals in the community to help fight hunger.

Johnson is passionate about creating an environment where everyone feels welcome to play, socialize, connect, grow and create lifelong skills that facilitate healthy habits.