Johanna López
Johanna López is a Human Impact Strategist at URBANDER, providing innovative support in the areas of strategic marketing, content development, workforce development, community outreach, and JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion). She was elected to represent District 2 on the Orange County School Board (OCPS) in 2018 after her campaign was fully run by her current and former students where she served until 2022 when she won a seat on the Florida State Legislature as the House Representative for District 43. A native of Puerto Rico, Ms. López earned her Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies from the University of Puerto Rico and holds a Master of Arts in Higher Education from the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico.
Before joining the school board, she served as an Advanced Placement Spanish Teacher at Colonial High for 19 years (1999-2018), earning the distinction of being the 2017 OCPS Teacher of the Year. Ms. López is also a recipient of the Governor’s Shine Award for Inspirational Teachers, the Queen Smith Award for Commitment to Urban Public Education, Macy’s Magic of Leadership Award, the Wings of Inspiration Award, Coca-Cola’s Educator of Distinction Award, and the Life Changer of the Year award.
Johanna López
HUMAN IMPACT STRATEGIST
López has an impressive record of leading and serving the community, being the founder of Familias Presentes: Estudiantes Excelentes, an online forum directed to making parents aware of different educational issues and opportunities, and Maestros Puertorriqueños en Acción.
After she was appointed a school board member, she served as the Executive Director for Voces Unidas por La Educación and the Alianza Center, not-for-profits that respectively promote education, advocacy, leadership, and civic engagement among the Hispanic communities of Florida. Ms. López, the daughter of a World War II veteran, is also a proud mother of four young adults who all attended Orange County public schools.
Her other community involvements include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Teacher Advisory Council, the OCPS Calendar Committee, the OCPS Foundation Board, Leadership Orange, and Mi Familia Vota’s Education Committee. In 2017, she participated as part of the Superintendent’s Public Education Leadership Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She was also recognized as the 2021 Elected Official of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Florida Central Unit. In the same year, she was recognized by U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy from Florida’s 7th congressional district, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month 2021 for her impact and contributions to the Hispanic community.
