American Board for Certified Master Chaplains

LZ Johnson, (Special Forces, U.S. Army (Ret.), BS, BA, CHS-V, CMC

Col. L Z Johnson has been an ordained minister since 2006 and is currently serving the Lord as the associate pastor of Cowan First Baptist Church in Cowan, TN.

Col. Johnson is currently self-employed; he provides professional consulting services to a number of businesses that operate in the government sector.

In the immediate past, Col. Johnson was the vice president of corporate development for Applied Geo Technologies, Inc (AGT). As vice president, he oversaw all aspects of day-to-day operations, strategic planning, marketing and business development, corporate communications, strategic plan execution, and customer operations to support NASA, the US Army, the US Air Force, commercial aviation, and homeland security programs.

Prior to joining AGT, Col. Johnson was employed by Systems and Technology Solutions Business Unit (STS), SAIC, as vice president of homeland security programs. As vice president, he was directly responsible for strategic planning, business development, and program management of activities relating to installation transformation, homeland security, and homeland defense.

Previously, Col. Johnson served as the director of the center for domestic preparedness a division of the Department of Homeland Security. As director, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Center including accomplishment of the Center’s national training mission of providing support to public safety and state and local officials.

Actively involved in the domestic preparedness community, Col. Johnson has participated in numerous national oversight committees, conferences, working groups, and partnerships.

Prior to joining the Center for Domestic Preparedness, Col. Johnson served as the Deputy Executive Director of the Fort McClellan Development Commission (FMDC). Responsibilities encompassed land use planning including training and research park development, economic redevelopment, and reuse of Fort McClellan properties after installation closure.

Having retired from the US Army (AGR) at the rank of Colonel, Col. Johnson’s military career spanned 32 years and included various command and staff assignments. His honors include induction into the US Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, GA.

As a graduate of numerous military and civilian educational institutions, Col. Johnson’s education includes concentrations in antiterrorism, management, economic development, research park planning, disaster management plans, operations, city and installation management, and contracting.