Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.

IWA Team

September 8, 2026

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.
President/CEO of Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and CEO of Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM’s work reaches more than 362 million workers and their families worldwide.

Known for his leadership on the future of employment, workplace culture, and how leaders navigate change, Taylor is widely sought after for his perspective on issues that affect work, workers, and the workplace. He’s been recognized on Savoy Magazine’s 2024 list of the “300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America,” included in Virginia Business’s “Virginia 500: Power List,” and named by Washingtonian Magazine among the “Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy.” He also frequently testifies before Congress on key workforce matters and writes the weekly USA Today column, “Ask HR.”

Johnny C. Taylor has spent more than 20 years building a career across law, human resources, and executive leadership in both nonprofit and for-profit organisations. His previous roles include senior and chief executive positions at IAC/InteractiveCorp, Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, the McGuireWoods law firm, and Compass Group USA. 

Most recently, he served as President and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

He is the author of the national bestseller, ‘RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval’, released in September 2021. The book quickly rose to the top tier of business bestsellers, reaching the top three on The Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling hardcover business books.

Taylor serves on the corporate boards of XPO, Inc.; Flores HR; AACSB; and Guild Education. He previously served on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and chaired the President’s Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the first Trump administration.

In 2020, he received the Distinguished Executive of the Year Award from the Academy of Management, and he was named 2021 ALA Professional Society CEO of the Year by CEO Update.

He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois, and Washington, D.C.