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“TRIBUTE TO CHARLENE JOHNSON” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E50 on Jan. 12, 2011.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO CHARLENE JOHNSON
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HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN
of south carolina
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a trailblazing woman in the field of athletics, who represents our shared alma mater with tremendous leadership. Charlene Johnson is being honored by the Baltimore Alumni Chapter of South Carolina State University on January 16, 2011 for her 28 years of outstanding contributions to the University's Athletics Department. It is my honor to join my fellow alumni in applauding her great work.
Charlene Johnson is currently serving her seventh season as athletics director at South Carolina State University. After guiding the Department in an interim capacity in 2003, Johnson was elevated to the athletics director on a permanent basis in the spring of 2004. Her influence is being felt well beyond the Orangeburg campus. In 2007, Johnson became the first female to serve as chairperson of the Directors of Athletics in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. She has also served on several NCAA committees.
The 2010-11 athletic season marks Mrs. Johnson's 28th year as a member of the SC State Department of Athletics, making her one of just three athletics staff members with more than 25 years of service to the University's athletics department. During her tenure as director of athletics, three different SC State teams have brought home conference championships, with three earning NCAA tournament appearances. The Bulldog football team won the 2008 and 2009 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles and made back-to-back trips to the prestigious FCS playoffs, and was league Co-Champion in 2004.
The women's tennis team has won the last six MEAC tennis crowns and made as many appearances in the NCAA Tennis Championship, while the men's squad has earned six of the last seven MEAC titles and as many berths to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to being named director of athletics, Johnson served seven years as the senior woman administrator and associate athletic director for the university. During that time she helped usher in a new era in SC State Athletics, assisting in the planning, directing, and coordinating of all areas of the department of athletics.
Johnson began her illustrious career in athletics at SC State in 1983 when she became the first woman to be appointed to a full-time coaching position as an assistant on the Lady Bulldog basketball team. Since that time, she has served the university in a number of capacities, including head volleyball coach, head women's tennis coach, and assistant women's basketball coach. She also spent two terms as the school's interim director of athletics.
Johnson's success as a leader in athletics is grounded in her success as a player. On the basketball court she became a part of SC State history early on when, she helped the Lady Bulldogs capture the 1979 AIAW National Championship with a 73-68 win over Dayton in Fargo, North Dakota. After her playing career, Johnson continued to help her alma mater and the women's basketball program. As a member of the coaching staff, she was instrumental in keeping the Lady Bulldogs among the top teams in the Southeast.
In 1990, Johnson guided the Lady Bulldog volleyball team to its sole Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship, earning MEAC Coach of the Year honors for her efforts. She also earned MEAC Coach of the Year accolades for women's tennis in 1986.
In recognition of her efforts, Johnson was inducted into the SC State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998 as an administrator and received special recognition in 2000 as a member of the 1979 AIAW National Championship team. Mrs. Johnson, who earned both her bachelor's (1980) and master's
(1987) from SC State, is married to Virgin Johnson, Jr., and they are the proud parents of two children: Taylor and Virgin (Trey) III.
Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in recognizing the significant contributions of Charlene Johnson as an athlete, a coach and an athletics administrator. She has built an outstanding legacy at South Carolina State University, and is a trailblazing role model for women pursuing careers in university athletics. I congratulate her on a job well done and thank her on behalf of all South Carolina State alumni for her many contributions to the university.
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