SHRM Linkage Appoints Carolynn Johnson as Acting CEO to Lead Next Chapter of Leadership Development

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — SHRM Linkage, a pioneer in talent and leadership development, today announced the appointment of Carolynn Johnson as Acting CEO, effective immediately. Johnson will continue serving as president of SHRM's Center for Inclusion & Diversity while assuming leadership of SHRM Linkage, as organizations increasingly prioritize both culture and leadership readiness amid rapid workforce and technological transformation. 

Johnson brings more than two decades of executive leadership experience spanning business strategy, commercial growth, and organizational transformation. Before joining SHRM, she served as CEO of Fair360, formerly DiversityInc, where she advised Fortune 500 CEOs, CHROs, and corporate boards on leadership strategy, organizational performance, and business transformation. 

 In her expanded role, Johnson will oversee SHRM Linkage's continued growth while working closely with SHRM's executive leadership team to advance its mission of developing leadership capability at every level. 

"For 35 years, Linkage has been in the business of building the leaders organizations can't do without and that work matters more now than ever. Backed by an extensive foundation of leadership data and a track record of developing leaders at scale, Linkage equips organizations to build the leaders they'll need next, strengthening leadership pipelines, deepening organizational trust, and fueling the innovation and growth companies need to thrive in what's ahead. We remain committed to building on that foundation, pushing it further, so Linkage remains the standard the rest of the industry measures itself against," said Syed Wasey, Chief Commercial Officer, SHRM.

Built on more than 35 years of leadership development expertise, SHRM Linkage helps organizations develop leaders capable of navigating complexity, accelerating business performance, and preparing workforces for the future. Through research-backed executive coaching, immersive learning experiences, and insights drawn from one of the world's largest leadership behavior datasets spanning more than 2 million leadership data points and more than 100,000 leaders developed. SHRM Linkage equips organizations to build the leaders they will need next. 

Recent SHRM Linkage research highlights a growing leadership readiness gap as artificial intelligence transforms business operations, and employee expectations continue to evolve. The research also points to a clear path forward: leaders who consistently align decisions with organizational purpose are 88 times more likely to be rated among the most effective leaders in their organizations, according to SHRM Linkage’s Purposeful Leadership Assessment.

The Linkage Leadership Institute will be featured as part of All Things Work (ATW) 2026, taking place Nov. 16–18, 2026, in Nashville, TN. As one of three interconnected learning paths at ATW 2026, the Institute gives leadership teams the opportunity to build critical leadership skills alongside inclusion strategy and HR expertise all in one unified experience. Together with BLUEPRINT for I&D and Skills Accelerator, the Linkage Leadership Institute helps organizations turn workforce strategy into real, actionable capability. 

Learn More

Journalists and media are invited to attend ATW. Press registration is required. For interview requests and press credentials, please contact press@shrm.org. 

About SHRM Linkage

For more than 35 years, Linkage has partnered with organizations to develop strong leaders and optimize the collective strength of their talent. Through tailored, research-driven strategies, consulting, and coaching expertise, SHRM Linkage delivers solutions that address real-world leadership challenges. These solutions are grounded in proprietary research, informed by more than 1 million data points from 100,000+ leadership assessments across three decades. This foundational insight enables clients to make better talent decisions, scale leadership readiness, and transform business performance from the backpack to the boardroom. Learn more at SHRM.org/Linkage. 

 About SHRM

SHRM is a member-driven catalyst for creating better workplaces where people and businesses thrive together. As the trusted authority on all things work, SHRM is the foremost expert, researcher, advocate, and thought leader on issues and innovations impacting today’s evolving workplaces. With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM touches the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally. Discover more at SHRM.org.