Monica Johnson is the founder and Executive Director of H.E.R.O.E.S. (Helping Everyone Receive Ongoing Effective Support), a peer-based and peer-driven organization whose mission is to provide HIV education to people at-risk and to provide supportive services for HIV-infected individuals and their families with primary focus on women and children.

Through her HEROES organization, Monica has founded several original programs. Mind, Body, and Soul University (MBSU) is a treatment education program designed to educate, support, and empower women living with HIV/AIDS.  The Teens in Motivational Education (TIME) peer education program, which has reached more than 2500 high-risk youth, is a teen pregnancy prevention program that utilizes a holistic approach to encourage youth to make informed choices that promote healthy decisions.  Keyah is a general health education program targeting African American women in rural communities. 

Monica serves on many boards and committees including the Louisiana Governor’s Commission on HIV/AIDS, National Minority AIDS Council Board of Directors, LSU Community Advisory Committee, and the Region VIII Community Planning Group. She also serves as an advisor for many national conferences around the United States.

Monica attended Northeast Louisiana University where she received a Bachelors of Science Degree in Medical Technology. She is also the recipient of the John Ramsey Memorial Award for Clinical Laboratory Science. Monica is the mother of a fourteen year old son Avery who also enjoys assisting his mom’s HIV/AIDS youth education programs. Known for her fondness of children, Monica enjoys playing, traveling, listening to music, and eating.