Johnston, Susan
JOHNSTON, Susan Whealler
Susan Whealler Johnston of Berryville, Virginia, passed on Friday, August 12, 2022, just six months after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Her courage during this time was remarkable and completely true to the way she lived her life.
Susan was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 5, 1953. She graduated from Druid Hills High School in 1971 and received her bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from Rollins College, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She earned both a master's degree and a doctorate in English literature from Perdue University.
Susan spent her entire career in the service of higher education. For eighteen years she served at Rockford College (now Rockford University) in Illinois. Beginning as a Professor of English, she rose to Department Chair and then to Dean of Academic Development. In addition, she served as Associate Dean of the affiliated Regent's College in London. Susan was known as a stickler for good writing and taught writing skills in many in-house courses for companies in the Rockford area. While in Rockford, she met an invited speaker who was to become the love of her life. She and Joseph S. Johnston were married in July, 2000.
Susan also spent eighteen years at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, an organization dedicated to improving governance in higher education. During her time there she served as Vice President of Private Higher Education Programs and then Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In these roles she worked with hundreds of colleges and universities, both in the United States and abroad, and helped transform the way they govern today. Susan made it a priority to remind educational leaders that their mission should always be focused on their students.
In 2018 Susan became the President and CEO of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), which serves, advises, and educates the administrative and financial officers of over 1,900 colleges and universities across the country. She was NACCUBO's first female chief executive, and she held this post with extraordinary talent and achievement until her death.
She also served higher education outside of her professional responsibilities. She chaired the Board of Trustees of Rollins College and was on the Board of Visitors of Radford University, the Board of Trustees for the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, the Board of the Southern Education Foundation, and the advisory committee of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
Susan was brilliant, charming, funny, supportive, and completely unassuming. In her free time, she loved gardening, needlepoint, baking, and walking with her beloved chocolate lab, Grace, in the State Arboretum of Virginia. She was great fun to be with and will be terribly missed by countless colleagues, friends, and family members.
Susan was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph S. Johnston, of Berryville, Virginia; and her parents, John Anson and Ora Cordell Whealler, and brother, Edward O. (EO) Whealler, all of Atlanta. Susan is survived by her brother, John Anson Whealler, and his wife Ann of Cohasset, Massachusetts; her stepson, Andrew Johnston and his wife Trisha and daughters, Lillian and Clara, all of Severna Park, Maryland; her stepson, Stephen Johnston and his wife, Christina and daughters, Victoria and Vivienne, all of Annapolis; her nephew, Benjamin E. Whealler, of Atlanta; and Grace.
A memorial service for Susan will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, September 17, 2022, at Christ Church in Millwood, Virginia, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Valley Conservation Council of Staunton, Virginia.
