Impact Of A Scholarship: Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson is a member of the University of Maryland Foundation Board of Trustees and the founder of one of the most prominent African American businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Johnson’s journey to becoming a successful businessman started with a scholarship to compete in track and field as a student-athlete at Maryland. Now, the 69-year-old is supporting his alma mater from across the country. 

Johnson grew up in Philadelphia before moving to Wilmington, Delaware. He ran track and played football and basketball in high school. He says track was not only his best but also his favorite sport. 

“The thing about track that's always been special to me is that while all the events except for the relays are individual events, you're competing in practice together, competing in meets and trying to score points for the team,” Johnson said. “Even though there's a lot of focus on individual accomplishments, there's great camaraderie and a team goal.”

Johnson was a standout on the track and in the classroom. He considered colleges with both good track and field and architecture programs. He says that narrowed down his decision quite a bit.

“Maryland had a really great track program, having won the ACC many times before I got there,” Johnson said. “Then the proximity to Washington, D.C., which is a great city. You have a lot of resources and a great area to go to college and live in.”

Johnson ran track at Maryland on a partial scholarship during his freshman and sophomore years from 1973-74 under head coach Nick Kovalakides and sprints coach Frank Costello. He was a part of two ACC championship teams, including the 1974 team that set the record for most points in an ACC championship meet with 127. The team was recently honored at the Kehoe Twilight Meet on May 3 to celebrate its 50th anniversary. 

On the record-setting day, Johnson ran on the Terps’ 440-yard relay, which finished first. He also won the 440-yard dash, finished third in the 220-yard dash (Maryland also finished first and second), and ran on the mile relay team. 

The 1974 ACC championship was Maryland men’s track and field's 19th consecutive conference title. The streak eventually reached 24 straight titles. 

“Receiving that scholarship helped me fulfill my goal of being a student-athlete,” Johnson said. “I've always thought that was one of my biggest accomplishments because it requires a lot of focus and discipline to manage your schedule and complete all your schoolwork to allow time for practice.”

“My family didn't have a lot of money even though my dad and mom both had good jobs,” he continued. “It was helpful in that it lessened the load on them trying to help me get a college education.”

Johnson gave up his collegiate track and field career during his junior year to focus on academics. Although it was a tough decision, it proved to be the correct one. In 1976, Johnson became the first African American to graduate from the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. 

Johnson took several courses that inspired him. One of them was called the “Architect In The Community.” He learned about the role an architect can play in helping rebuild communities. 

“That really opened my eyes to wanting to be in real estate development,” Johnson said. “As an architect, you design buildings, but you generally have a client, and that client is a real estate developer. That real estate developer has the vision for what will be built, whether it's multi-family housing, a commercial office or retail stores.”

Johnson earned a joint bachelor's degree in architecture and urban planning from Maryland. He says attending Maryland opened up many opportunities for him. 

“I got a chance to go to a good architecture school in an area like College Park near Washington, D.C., where you got exposed to many things,” Johnson said. “Washington D.C. probably has more Black architects than any other city. So, I was able to meet some mentors that helped me start my career.”

Johnson earned his master’s in architecture from Georgia Tech, concentrating on real estate development. He approached the two fields with an entrepreneurial mind, starting different businesses. 

One of the businesses he started in 1990 was UrbanCore Development. UrbanCore is one of the Bay Area's leading real estate development and consulting companies. The firm focuses on developing multi-family, mixed-income, mixed-use and affordable housing projects in historically neglected parts of the city. 

UrbanCore has been involved with 32 projects, including approximately 3,300 housing units, at a cost of over $1 billion over the past 30 years since Johnson moved to the Bay Area. Before moving to the Bay area, Johnson worked in Atlanta and participated in notable projects such as creating the Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic District. 

“We've been involved in developing mixed-income housing where you have a combination of some higher and lower-income families in the same building or complex,” Johnson said. “We've been one of the early firms undertaking that development because it produces better overall communities instead of segregating families.”

Johnson returns to the University of Maryland periodically to give lectures and advice to architecture students. There, he often discusses the projects in which his team is involved. Johnson has been involved with the architecture school and its students for over a decade.

His involvement led to meeting more administration members and attending some athletic events. He met Kevin Anderson, the former university athletic director. Anderson was interested in Johnson’s business ventures and recommended that he join the board of trustees.  

Johnson was flattered by the opportunity. One thing led to another, and suddenly, he was being interviewed in California. He pledged to the university by providing a scholarship split between the architecture and track programs called the Michael E. Johnson '74 Track & Field Endowed Scholarship. He also contributed to the building of the Barry P. Gossett Basketball Performance Center. 

“I wanted to provide some of my resources to support those programs,” Johnson said. “Just so I could provide an opportunity for someone to get some scholarship money just as I did, to help them pursue their career path.”