# Melissa Johnston

> Melissa Johnston is the founding CEO of Lemnis, a public charity established in 2023 following the sale of most NWEA assets to HMH. Previously NWEA’s Chief Strategy Officer and EVP for Partnerships and a senior leader at CCSSO, she now leads an approach combining acquisitions, grants and investments to support learning organizations and young people aged 10 to 26.

- **Role:** Founding CEO at LEMNIS
- **Organizations:** Lemnis, NWEA, Council of Chief State School Officers, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Public Education Network, Reading Is Fundamental
- **Education:** BA in American Studies and Black World Studies, Miami University, MA, with a concentration in policy analysis and nonprofit management, University of Chicago, School of Social Administration
- **Known for:** Helped lead the NWEA asset sale that funded the creation of Lemnis., Led Lemnis as its Collective added three education organizations in 2026., Appointed to the CASEL board in 2024.

## Career timeline

- **2003** — Joined CCSSO; subsequently held director of strategy and implementation, chief operating officer and deputy executive director roles.
- **2018** — Joined NWEA in April; served as Chief Strategy Officer and EVP for Partnerships.
- **2023** — Played a key role in the sale of NWEA assets to HMH; became founding CEO of Lemnis, established in April.
- **2024** — Joined the CASEL board in November.
- **2026** — Lemnis acquired InsideTrack in February, Mainstay in March and Wayfinder in September.

## Achievements

- Helped lead the NWEA asset sale that funded the creation of Lemnis.
- Led Lemnis as its Collective added three education organizations in 2026.
- Appointed to the CASEL board in 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Lemnis announced its acquisition of Wayfinder on September 4, its third acquisition in eight months.
- **2026-06** — Published an opinion article about theater and durable skills on June 28.
- **2026-06** — Discussed Lemnis, patient capital and human connections in a June 8 Higher Education Digest interview.
- **2026-03** — Lemnis announced its acquisition of Mainstay on March 24.
- **2026-02** — InsideTrack joined Lemnis as the first organization in the Collective.

## Links

- Website: https://www.lemnis.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-johnston-6878a4ba

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/melissa-johnston
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26