MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Amma Johnson, director of Penn State Harrisburg’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE), and a University alumna, has been selected as a Central Penn Business Journal 2025 Women of Influence honoree.
Women of Influence honors high-achieving women for their career accomplishments, selecting them based on their professional experience, community involvement and commitment to mentoring.
Johnson and her fellow honorees will be recognized June 25 at a celebration at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Johnson is an executive with a 20-year background in retail, economic development and small business advocacy, and has a passion for nonprofit work and community engagement.
She has served at Penn State Harrisburg since 2023, first as the manager of the Harrisburg LaunchBox powered by Penn State, where she built community-facing business and education collaborative programs and projects between the LaunchBox and local organizations. She implemented a wide range of programs and events and worked with Penn State Harrisburg faculty to coordinate workshops or training programs to prepare student and local entrepreneurs for those events — such as startup weekends, business plan competitions and other events.
She was named director of the Penn State Harrisburg CIE in 2024, where she built on the success of her work with the LaunchBox. The CIE is the regional hub for startups and innovative leaders throughout South-Central Pennsylvania, offering accelerator programs including customer discovery training, mentorship, pitch competitions and networking events. As director, Johnson facilitates the collaboration, development and growth of the region's entrepreneurial community.
Johnson earned her bachelor of science degree in marketing from Penn State. She began her career in merchandising, management and buying for department stores and later made a career move into the nonprofit sector in economic and community development. She spent over 15 years in community building from membership management and engagement to DEI programs to building entrepreneurship programs. An entrepreneur herself, she launched her own fashion and accessories brand and economic development consulting businesses. She has been a Harrisburg resident for more than 20 years.