Dr. Kim Johnson begins her third season as esports Director in the fall of 2025.
Johnson's leadership helped guide the program to three championship titles: the Golden Eagles claimed their first NACE Varsity Plus division Rocket League championship in December 2023, followed by a National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) League of Legends title in the Emergents – East division in April 2024, and most recently captured the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division C Valorant championship in April 2025 with an 11-0 conference record.
The program's first director led the move of the esports program to its current dedicated practice space, located inside the Bynum Theater within the Walton Lifetime Health Complex, which features 20 Alienware Gaming PCs and three Nintendo Switch consoles. The facility includes two broadcast cameras, a shoutcaster desk, 10 high-definition player cameras, and full broadcast and lighting controls.
Johnson's interest in collegiate esports developed when she observed the Boise State University varsity esports program, housed within the educational technology department at the university, where she was a student. She subsequently began researching collegiate and scholastic esports and later co-presented "Esports, Get in the Game" with Doc Haskell, professor and esports head coach at Boise State, at a regional educational technology conference.
Under Johnson's direction in the fall of 2021, the esports club acquired a gaming space dubbed "The Shop," located in the former woodshop in the Windgate Visual Art East building. The facility currently houses 10 PCs and a Nintendo Switch console and maintains consistent usage.
Johnson also helped organize multiple LAN tournaments on campus before assuming sponsorship of the club sport.
Johnson joined John Brown University in 2016, becoming part of the ATLAS (Advancement of Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship) team as an instructional designer and concurrently serves as an adjunct instructor. Johnson maintains her ongoing interest in game-based learning and gamification, which complements her interest in esports.
In 2022, Johnson completed her doctorate in educational technology at Boise State, focusing her research and dissertation on women in intercollegiate esports leadership. Following her bachelor's degree in early childhood education from John Brown University in 2007, Johnson spent five years teaching in the classroom, followed by several years in virtual teaching and instructional coaching.
She earned her master's degree in educational technology from Boise State University in 2015 and, concurrently, earned a graduate certificate in school technology coordination. Johnson now serves on the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) board of directors.
Johnson currently resides in Siloam Springs with her husband, Steve, and their three pets.
