Who We Are

Neil Johnston became CEO of Fraser Academy (FA) in July 2022.

He is humbled to lead FA through the next step of its growth towards becoming Canada’s Centre for Dyslexia. “There is a unique opportunity before us; we can and must do more to serve and reach the 20% of children with dyslexia. FA is uniquely poised with some of the world’s most highly skilled educators to further share that expertise and increase our value to the education system and society.”

Mr. Johnston first joined FA as Director of Advancement in January 2019. He was motivated to join the FA community given the injustice, barriers and risks that students with dyslexia face in education and life. That motivation was strengthened by subsequently discovering that his children are dyslexic (they now attend FA’s school and outreach programs).

Mr. Johnston is a member of the globally renowned Orton-Gillingham Academy, and has completed FA’s Orton-Gillingham Classroom Educator program.

His career spans over 25 years with experience in both the private sector as a corporate lawyer at leading U.K. firms, and in the non-profit education sector (since 2006) in leadership roles.

A recognized non-profit executive, Mr. Johnston was previously Vice President, Development at Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity, a globally renowned $70M+ post-secondary institute specializing in arts and leadership programs with national and international reach.

A dynamic leader, proven in strategic thinking and delivering outstanding results, Mr. Johnston has a track record of developing teams, relationships and partnerships in service of building and optimizing organizational capacity for greater community impact.

Reflecting on his FA journey so far, Mr. Johnston shares: “Our family has experienced a similar story to countless other families and students. FA transforms educational journeys, and ultimately changes lives. We exist to build the bridges and connect the gaps in society that are caused by the systemic marginalization of not addressing dyslexia. At Fraser Academy, we are committed to leading change in Canada.”