Buffalo Prep’s David Johnson Moves to Executive Director

BUFFALO, NY – December 9, 2025 – Buffalo Prep President Patti Stephen, in a long-planned and board-approved transition, will shift her full focus to strategic planning and philanthropic growth for the education-equity organization and College Prep Senior Director David Johnson will take over Prep’s day-to-day operations starting July 1, 2026.

The planned transition, approved by Buffalo Prep’s board today, has been under discussion for six months.

Buffalo Prep, in its 36th year, educates, mentors and provides support for almost 800 scholars annually from 70 public, private and charter middle schools and 18 high schools in 35 Zip codes. Prep, which offers its scholars six grade-based programs, also actively supports its high-school graduates in college, and has an alumni chapter for its graduates.

“Buffalo Prep’s growth and success on behalf of our scholars and their families also means the organization has become far-reaching enough that it’s best managed by two people,” said Board Chair Jodyann Galvin, a partner at Hodgson Russ. “This well-thought-out leadership sustainability decision puts Patti in a position to build Prep regionally and nationally, while David evolves from leading Prep’s largest program to becoming executive director overseeing its daily operations.”

Johnson, 38, currently serves as the senior director of College Prep, the organization’s program for high-school students moving to post-secondary endeavors. According to research in 2021 in partnership with the University at Buffalo, Buffalo Prep High School Prep scholars graduate from college in six years at an 84 percent rate, with 83 percent of Prep graduates responding to UB’s survey. All students nationally have a 62 percent graduation rate in six years, and students in Prep’s demographic nationally graduate at a 51 percent rate over six years.

With an M.S. in Executive Leadership and Change from Daemen University, Johnson has more than 15 years’ experience in education and as a college-access professional. He leads Prep’s college readiness, academic success, workforce development initiatives. Executive director will be Johnson’s fourth area of responsibility at Prep over eight years.

A first-generation college graduate originally from Detroit, MI, Johnson received his B.A. from Daemen/Canisius colleges. Also at Daemen, he was assistant and then associate director of admissions, and served too as assistant men’s basketball coach and director of player development for 12 years. He was a member of the Leadership Buffalo Class of 2025.

“I’m honored by the board’s confidence in me, and look forward to continuing my mentee-ship with Patti. Prep’s staff is extraordinary, and I am humbled to help lead them,” Johnson said. “I feel my strengths and focus are in designing and managing comprehensive student development programs, building institutional partnerships, and facilitating transformative learning experiences. I look forward to continuing to apply those priorities to Prep.”

Johnson lives in Lockport with his wife Bridgette, a middle school special-education teacher in the Royalton-Hartland district, and their two sons. He is a member of the 716 Squash board, and coaches his sons’ Little League football and basketball teams.

Stephen, who has been at Prep for 16 years, became Prep’s executive director in 2016, succeeding Marcia O’Neil-White, and became president in 2022. Stephen will work closely with Johnson through an eight-month transition supported by a board leadership-succession committee.

Stephen, 47, centers her work on advancing educational and racial equity, promoting individual and collective well-being, and co-creating compassionate, inclusive cultures of care. She will continue to work on building Prep’s $4 million endowment.

She has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, and currently serves on several boards and committees, including the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA), D’Youville University, the Education Collaborative of WNY (EdCo), and the national board of Reading Partners. She is also a co-founder of the Equity Alliance of Western New York.

Stephen holds a master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and is a trained positive psychology coach. Her coaching and consulting firm, C3 Community, helps individuals, schools, and organizations foster well-being, strengthen connection, and unlock their collective potential.

“Buffalo Prep grew exponentially over the last decade and especially coming out of COVID, a time that made demand for Prep’s services, philosophy and curriculum even more pronounced,” Stephen said. “It’s time for me to concentrate on building Prep’s endowment and working with the board on broad-based strategic and endowment initiatives to ensure, with David and our amazing team, that Prep sustains itself for decades to come.”

Stephen’s leadership and impact earned her widespread recognition. She received the Dean’s Service Award from the University at Buffalo’s Graduate School of Education for her commitment to equity and education. She was also honored with the 2021 Outstanding Executive Award from the local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for advancing equitable practices across Western New York.

She was recognized at the 2022 Buffalo Business First Women of Influence Awards, and named to Business First’s “40 Under 40” list for her community leadership. In 2024, she received the Community Impact Award from the Beau Fleuve Music Culturally Activated and Community Engaged Initiative; and, most recently, she was named one of Business First’s 200 Most Powerful Women in Western New York. She is a member of Leadership Buffalo’s Class of 2014.

More about Buffalo Prep – ‘Illuminating Brilliance’
Buffalo Prep is not a school, but a school of thought. We believe in educational equity. We believe in racial justice. We believe in our scholars and in their potential to change the world. Through rigorous academic programming, Buffalo Prep scholars have the opportunity to turn knowledge into power. While they’re putting in the extra hours in the classroom, we’re putting in the work to build a more inclusive, equitable, and just community around them. We have grown exponentially since our founding in 1989 and now serve over 800 Western New York students and alumni throughout our unique pipeline of programs, Prep Scholars Academy, Middle School Prep, High School Prep, College Prep, and Alumni Prep.

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