About

Following Hurricane Katrina, Happy Johnson drove an Emergency Response Vehicle with the K44 Disaster Relief Unit of the American Red Cross Chapter of Southeast Louisiana.

At the conclusion of his service as a first responder in 2005, Johnson founded an NGO which provided more than 10,000 volunteer hours of direct service to help rebuild homes, schools and parks. The displacement of children recalled Johnson’s journey in foster care, fueling his desire to help renew the “Soul of America” for future generations. Foster children in New Orleans increased 50% after Hurricane Katrina (USA Today).

Johnson is President of TeamHappy.Org, which provides global humanitarian relief through blankets and innovative educational resources about disaster preparedness and coastal restoration for youth. He is the author of Big Wanda and co-host of GoNOLA TV.

TIME Magazine selected Johnson to be featured in the high school history textbook: Civics Today. A former White House intern, he has a B.A. from Georgetown University.

Honors & Awards:
Met President Aznar (Spain), Yushchenko (Ukraine), Clinton, Bush and Obama
Completed 3 Marathons (26.2 Miles)
Lena Landegger Community Service Award
Howard R. Swearer National Humanitarian Award
Lambert H. Spronk Medal for Service
U.S. President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll
Gambit Weekly 40 under 40
First Pitch Honor at Zephyrs Baseball Stadium
City Council of New Orleans Honorable Proclamation
Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress Fellowship
State of Louisiana Honorable Proclamation
New Orleans Magazine People to Watch
Kiwanis Club of The Big Easy Tommie Cotton Humanitarian of the Year
Alliance For Good Government Civic Leader of the Year Award

Most notably, Happy is proud to be an Honorary Eagle of Warren Easton High School.