Adria Johnson, Ball State University Alum and CEO of the Metro United Way in Louisville, was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. Her parents instilled values of independence, resilience, humility, discipline, and commitment in her at a young age.

“I grew up in really humble beginnings,” Adria said. Her experiences throughout childhood encouraged her to give back to the community. Her family often volunteered and offered their time and support in the church. The lessons she learned at a young age followed her into college, encouraging her to seek new opportunities and a strong sense of community. 

Ball State Experience

Adria’s decision to attend Ball State University was dependent on size, distance from home, academic programming, financial aid and scholarship support, and other people she knew attending. With that being said, Adria did not have a stereotypical college experience.

Her first few years at Ball State were dedicated to her academics and commitment to the honors college curriculum. As an upperclassman, she was blessed with a family, which created challenges. She was responsible for a child and a marriage while still having the academic demands of a college student. Ball State accommodated her needs to continue her education as a mother. 

Adria moved to Ball State’s on-campus housing complex for families. In this new home, she found a culture of like-minded individuals willing to encourage and support each other. The flashback to her childhood: helping others and encouraging them through volunteer work was once again present in her life. When a mother had to attend class, another family would babysit the child while working on a paper or nurturing their own family. They looked out for each other in hard times and celebrated one another’s achievements. 

With the odds against her, she found resilience and strength in the community surrounding Ball State. She graduated with an honors accounting degree in 1994. 

“Though it was challenging, I certainly look back and can see the benefit and the blessing that I had being part of a very supportive little culture where we looked out for each other… we had a village so to speak.” 

 

Career Success and Goals

Walking off Ball State’s campus, Adria intended to put her degree to use. She spent about 11 years in the corporate private sector. In 2004, a merger and relocation in the company she was working for was announced, encouraging her to step back and reflect. Adria did some soul-searching and found her way back to her roots. She had a strong desire to get into the social services field so she could make a direct impact on her community and the lives of the people living there.

Adria made the tough decision not to relocate and to remain in Louisville. She found a position with the local city government sector that she worked in for about seven and a half years. This position still leaned heavily into her degree, but also provided her an opportunity to develop new relationships which eventually landed Adria on the human services side. She transitioned to state government where she served for almost six years as the Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner of Kentucky’s agency that oversees child welfare, foster care and adoption, adult protection, and public benefits. 

This then led her to the non-profit sector with Metro United Way, where she held the position of Chief Impact Officer for three years before being tapped to be the organization’s new President and CEO following an extensive national search.

“This is a pivotal moment in the 104-year history of MUW as well as in our local communities and it was vital that we find a leader with bold and strategic vision,’ said Elaine Gravatte, MUW Board Chair and President and CEO at DDW The Color House,” in an article for United Way following the CEO hiring announcement. Upon being appointed to this position, Adria became the first Black CEO in this organization’s 108 year history. The selection of this position, for Adria, is not taken lightly or without deep consideration. Adria’s hard work and proven dedication to make a difference through constant setbacks, challenges, and struggle became her key to success. 

“Louisville needs a strong, visionary leader at MUW with a passion for the community. Adria has helped lead MUW through the transition from a historical pass-through fundraising organization to a transformational change organization and we couldn’t be happier that she will continue this work as CEO,” Kent Blake, MUW’s immediate past Board Chair and Chief Financial Officer at LG&E KU, said in an article for United Way following the CEO hiring announcement. Notably, the committee making this hiring decision was co-led by Ashley Duncan, MUW’s Board Vice Chair and Vice President/Director of Inclusion at Republic Bank.

United Way has three distinct pillars that align their work: “ensuring our community has kids that are thriving, has households that are strong, and has a community that is equitable.” Adria takes the data and issues arising and breaks down the reason behind them. She collaborates with different organizations to develop innovative solutions and ways to put them into play. 

“It takes courage to upset the apple cart, it takes resilience to work through the criticism, naysaying, or the skepticism or misunderstanding that can also present when you are going through any type of substantial change management effort. I take pride in that because we are seeing the results of our innovation. Seeing the results of staying the course and not caving into some of the external pressure we are trying to push for some of it,” Adria said. 

The town she knew as a little girl was full of struggle, but now she is back with the power to influence policy and make a difference in strategy. “Life comes full circle, but one that I hold in such respect and appreciation because I don’t take it for granted,” Adria said. “I didn’t have expectations that my career would necessarily be doing that (non-profit work) but certainly it is how I am hardwired.”

Not only did her experiences as a child guide her to non-profit, but a tragedy gave her another reason to push for change. Adria lost her son, Kenneth Rhodes II, in Nov. 2022 due to sustained injuries after being hit by an impaired driver. The pain and grief of losing her child turned into a desire to keep his legacy alive by helping others. Adria established a scholarship fund, The K.E.N. Fund, which is administered through Metro United Way. They have awarded two annual scholarships and are currently planning to award the third within the next few months.  

Although Adria’s professional work will continue to evolve and make a difference, she still has other goals in progress. She continues to spend as much time as possible with her grandchildren. Adria also loves to write and has started to lay out the groundwork for a book. Throughout all of Adria’s experiences she has always found her way back to her roots. She found humility, resilience, patience, and excellence in every task as she remembers her time as a young woman in college. 

Advice for Students

Adria remembers her first accounting professor at Ball State, Norma Jean Balcom, for her commitment to upholding the Beneficence Pledge. 

“She was good at delivering on the concepts but the stretching element she brought to each of us as students was wonderful and foundational for your college career: having high expectations set, being held accountable, pushing us to go beyond perhaps what we thought our own limitations were at the time as students,” Adria explained. Her time with this professor and experiences throughout her life have helped her mend the advice she wished someone had told her at a young age.

“Don’t limit yourself. Get as fully immersed and involved in any and everything that peaks your interest during your college career … Don’t be hesitant to reach out in whatever ways you need to, whether it’s support, mentorship or advice. I can’t think of a single professor during my college career that wasn’t willing and very eager to be of support.”