Johnny C. Taylor Jr.


Johnny Clayton Taylor Jr. is an American lawyer, author and public speaker who is the president & CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management. He was previously president & CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which represents the US's 47 publicly supported historically Black colleges and universities. In February 2018, President Donald J. Trump appointed Taylor Chair of the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Taylor was also on the board of Gallup, a research-based, global performance-management consulting company. From December 2016 until leaving the board in mid-2018, he was chair of the Cooper Union Governance Committee and as member of the Executive Committee. Along with Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners Chief Information Officer and Cooper Union alumnus Eric Hirschhorn, Taylor co-chaired the school's search committee for a full-time president. Taylor was elected to the board of trustees of the University of Miami on May 5, 2017.

Early life and education

Taylor was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He graduated valedictorian of his class at Dillard High School in Broward County. Taylor, an Isaac Bashevis Singer Scholar and honors graduate of the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science in Communication, went on to earn a Master of Arts With Honors from Drake University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence With Honors from the Drake Law School, where he served as Research Editor of the Drake Law Review and argued on the National Moot Court Team He is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois, and Washington, D.C.

Career

Taylor was selected to lead the Thurgood Marshall College Fund in 2010. Prior to assuming the presidency of TMCF, Taylor worked for IAC/InterActiveCorp, first as its senior vice president of Human Resources and then as the president & CEO of one of IAC's operating subsidiaries. Before joining IAC, Taylor was a Partner in the McGuireWoods law firm; General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Compass Group USA, and he held several senior human resources and legal executive roles with Viacom subsidiaries, Blockbuster Entertainment and Paramount Pictures. Taylor has also volunteered his time to several non-profit/charity boards, including the Drake University Board of Trustees, the University of Miami's President's Council, the University of Miami's Board of Trustees, and the YMCA of the USA.
Under Taylor, TMCF has secured several notable partnerships. In March 2015, Apple Inc. committed $50 million to diversity efforts, $40 million of which creates programming, scholarships and other initiatives for HBCU faculty and students. In January 2017, the Charles Koch Foundation and Koch Industries announced a $25.6 million gift to TMCF to create the Center for Advancing Opportunity, which will create research centers on HBCU campuses that administer scholarship and fellowships, and focus on issues facing fragile communities in the areas of education, criminal justice reform, and entrepreneurship. The CAO will also partner with Gallup to create an index to measure sentiment in communities facing these issues.
On June 1, 2017, the Society for Human Resource Management named Taylor president & CEO. He succeeded Henry G. Jackson. Taylor's appointment was effective in November 2017. SHRM represents 300,000 HR professionals globally.
Taylor chairs the President’s Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and serves on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board. The Board advises the National Council for the American Worker on how to ensure that American students and workers have access to the resources they need to succeed in the global economy.
He serves on the boards of the University of Miami, Jobs for America’s Graduates, and the American Red Cross. He is an advisor to Safe Streets & Second Chances. The program works to reduce recidivism among the formerly incarcerated.
In 2020, Taylor was U.S. Representative Mark Walker’s guest for the State of the Union address.

Author

Taylor is a co-author of The Trouble with HR: An Insider's Guide to Finding and Keeping the Best People. The book covers employee relations, compensation and benefits, training, on-boarding, and development practices. He authors a weekly column in USA Today titled "Ask HR."

Public speaking

Past chairman of the Society for Human Resource Management, Taylor speaks on business leadership and human resources. He has spoken to The Today Show, CNBC, Reuters, HR Magazine, CBS Evening News, TIME, Fortune, and The Wall Street Journal. In addition, Taylor has testified before Congress on several occasions. His testimonies covered workforce issues such as sexual harassment and paid leave.
In 2017, Taylor gave the keynote address at Albany State University’s fall commencement morning ceremony. He spoke before the candidates in the College of Arts & Humanities, the College of Education, and the College of Sciences and Technology. In 2019, he spoke at the International Career and Business Alliance Diversity & Inclusion Conference.

Personal life

Taylor married then-WNBA player Charlotte Smith-Taylor in 2002. The couple divorced in 2007. Taylor has a daughter, Taylor, and they reside in Washington, DC. Taylor also manages the family's holding company, Taylor Holdings of Broward Inc.

Awards

In 2011, Taylor was named one of the “Power 100” by Ebony Magazine in its list of the 100 most influential African Americans.
In March 2019, Taylor was awarded the Alumni of the Year award by Drake University.
In 2020, Taylor was named one of 'LinkedIn Pros Best in Class for Government, Advocacy, and Non-Profit'. In the same year, he was named as a top 10 HR influencer by the LaSalle Network, as well as a "King Legacy" award recipient at the 29th "International Salute to the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast".