Renay Johnson

Renay Johnson, Principal since 2011
On July 1, 2011, Renay  became the first woman Principal in Blair’s 77 year history.
“It’s really an honor to follow people like Phil Gainous and Darryl Williams, both men I worked with very closely over the past years,” Renay said. “Of course, being Blair’s Principal is one of the highest profile jobs in Montgomery County, so the pressure will be on right from the beginning of my tenure.”

She went to high school at Meade High, and then on to Maryland where she got her B.S. in education. When she was starting to look for someplace to teach she was attracted to Montgomery County because of its emphasis on diversity. She taught at Georgian Forest Elementary, then I became a math teacher at Galloway Elementary.
Renay moved into counseling after that, starting at Bradley Hills Elementary where she was involved with the Pillars of Ethics group. She began her career at the middle school level when she became the Head Counselor at White Oak Middle School. When the White Oak Principal went to Paint Branch High School a few years later, she took Renay along as Assistant Principal, supervising the Math and English programs.
In 2006, Renay took the position of Principal at Takoma Park Middle School, one of the “feeder” schools for Blair. During her tenure at TPMS Renay also served as a facilitator for the Maryland State Teachers Academy and has won several other awards. When the Blair job opened due to the promotion of Darryl Williams to a new job in the school system, Renay was one of four candidates asked to interview for the job. A committee of 30 people sat on the interview committee, and she was eventually offered the job by then-School Superintendent Weast.
“I want to concentrate on maintaining Blair’s excellence, collaborating with everyone who can help us succeed, and making sure that every Blair graduate is either career or school ready,” she said.