Claude Johnson

Current

Founder & President at Black Fives, Inc.

Past

Vice President, Marketing at Benetton SportSystem
Vice President at Phat Licensing
Product Line Manager at Nike, Inc.

Director, International Licensing at NBA Properties
Senior Marketing Manager at American Express
Marketing Representative at IBM

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Education

Stanford University
Carnegie Mellon University

Recommended

4 people have recommended Claude

Connections

487 connections

Industry

Sports

Websites

Claude Johnson’s Summary

Black Fives is all about the history of dozens of African American basketball teams that played before the racial integration of the N.B.A., from 1904 through 1950. We combine this history with the lessons and experiences of those pioneers to provide meaningful insights about life that people can use today. Our slogan is “Make History Now!"

Claude Johnson’s Specialties:

Licensing, basketball history, African American history, sports marketing, merchandising, personal improvement, marketing, promotions, youth culture.

Claude Johnson’s Experience

Founder & President

Black Fives, Inc.

(Sports industry)

October 2001 — Present (8 years 2 months)

Black Fives is all about the history of dozens of African American basketball teams that played before the racial integration of the N.B.A., from 1904 through 1950. We combine this history with the lessons and experiences of those pioneers to provide meaningful insights about life that people can use today. Our slogan is “Make History Now!"
Vice President, Marketing

Benetton SportSystem

(Sporting Goods industry)

January 2000 — October 2001 (1 year 10 months)
Vice President

Phat Licensing

(Privately Held; Apparel & Fashion industry)

January 1999 — December 1999 (1 year )

Vice President at Phat Licensing, the licensing operation of the Phat Farm brand.
Product Line Manager

Nike, Inc.

(Public Company; Sporting Goods industry)

January 1997 — January 1999 (2 years 1 month)
Director, International Licensing

NBA Properties

(Sports industry)

January 1994 — January 1997 (3 years 1 month)
Senior Marketing Manager

American Express

(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; Financial Services industry)

January 1990 — January 1994 (4 years 1 month)
Marketing Representative

IBM

(Public Company; Information Services industry)

January 1985 — January 1990 (5 years 1 month)

Claude Johnson’s Education

Stanford University

MS , Mechanical Engineering , 1982 — 1984

Activities and Societies:

National Society of Black Engineers
Carnegie Mellon University

BS , Civil Engineering , 1978 — 1982

Activities and Societies:

National Society of Black Engineers
Tau Beta Pi Civil Engineering Honor Society

Additional Information

Claude Johnson’s Websites:

Claude Johnson’s Interests:

This moment. Presence. The collective consciousness. Personal awakening and growth. Basketball. History. Family. Photography. Friends. The way life expresses itself. Travel. Writing. To be continued ... :-)

Claude Johnson’s Groups:

Board of Trustees, Greenwich Public Library;
Advisory Council, Carnegie Mellon University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering;
Association of Professional Basketball Researchers;
North American Society of Sports Historians;
Ballers4Barack;
Association for Library Trustees and Advocates

The Greater IBM Connection: IBM's alumni program for past and present IBM employees
Carnegie Mellon Alumni
Obama for America
Sports Marketing and PR Pros
Speakers and Panelists
Nike USA Alumni
National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA)
Sports Marketing 2.0
Walnut Hills High School Alumni
Professional Athlete Network™
The National Association of Black Sports Professionals (NABSP)
Licensing, Merchandising & Brand Management
Sports Industry Network™
Stanford University Alumni
Ballers4Barack
Intellectual Property Professionals
Footwear Professionals Network/Shoebizness.com
Nike Networking
American Express Alumni
Carnegie Mellon Black Alumni Association
NBA Alumni