Nadiyah Johnson

About Nadiyah Johnson

Nadiyah Johnson is a 3x graduate of Marquette University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, a master’s degree in computational science and a Ph.D. in computer science. Her doctoral research focuses on artificial intelligence and has granted her recognition at several conferences around the globe. She currently serves as a professor in the computer science department at Marquette.

Nadiyah’s passion for diversity in STEM fueled the launch of her company, Jet Constellations, a Milwaukee-based technology company. Jet Constellations’ social impact initiative, the Milky Way Tech Hub, functions to promote racial diversity in the tech industry through STEM education and entrepreneurship programming as well as building a nurturing ecosystem of diverse techies and entrepreneurs.

As the founder of a for-profit company as well as an impact-driven initiative, Nadiyah is propelled by a desire to uplift her community, including the 53206 ZIP code in Milwaukee, which incarcerates the most Black men in the nation. Her efforts currently focus on educational and technological investments, and she aspires to one day replicate this model in other communities around the U.S. She is currently realizing the vision of Milwaukee as the “Milky Way Tech Hub,” a tech ecosystem that represents and serves all parts of Milwaukee’s diverse population.

Prior to launching Jet Constellations and the Milky Way Tech Hub, Nadiyah worked at GE HealthCare as a technical product manager with a specialty in data science. She was named to the Milwaukee Business Journal’s prestigious 40 Under 40 list in 2020, and in 2022, she was given one of the same publication’s Diversity in Business awards. Nadiyah and her company were recipients of the Jrue & Lauren Holiday Fund’s Social Impact Fund grant in 2022. She was recognized by Essence for her efforts as founder of WI Tech Month, and was named a Woman of Distinction by Milwaukee Magazine in 2024.

In her free time, Nadiyah is an artist. She enjoys painting on canvas as well as creating digital art; she occasionally sells her art in pop-up shops and at local art fairs. When she is not painting or working in the community, she is spending quality time with her family, likely beating them at chess.