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DeJon Johnson

Principal Digital Strategist

I build accessible, data-driven digital experiences and email systems for the public sector.

About

Currentlyleading digital strategy for the City of Detroit

I'm a CRM and email marketing professional turned digital strategist with 4+ years executing campaigns, managing platforms, and turning messy operational data into outcomes people actually care about.

Today, I'm the Principal Digital Strategist for the City of Detroit, where I set technical standards for web development, accessibility, security, and performance — and run cross-departmental projects from vendor selection through staff enablement.

Before that I built the city's first dedicated email marketing program from scratch in GovDelivery: responsive HTML templates, A/B testing protocols, automated comms for seasonal staff, and the SOPs the team still runs on. On the side I ship React/Next.js apps and ecommerce builds through Webdroid.

When I'm not in a code editor, I'm teaching it — designing curriculum and running workshops that get people their first real taste of building for the web.

0+
Years in CRM & email
0st
Email program at City of Detroit
0+
Years shipping web apps

Experience

  1. 2025 — Present

    Principal Digital Strategist · City of Detroit

    Orchestrate digital strategy and cross-departmental projects, setting technical standards for web development, accessibility, security, and performance. Designed and shipped an in-house inventory application that now tracks 23,000+ items across 20 locations — replacing a fragmented manual process with QR-coded check-in/out, role-based access, and PDF reporting. Author RFP specifications and lead technical vetting for vendor selection, then run onboarding and oversight as the primary liaison. Drive automation, workflow modernization, and technology adoption through curriculum design and hands-on training.

    • Next.js
    • Firebase
    • RFP & Procurement
    • Vendor Management
    • Accessibility
    • Automation
    • Analytics
  2. 2021 — 2025

    Email Developer · City of Detroit

    Architected the department's first dedicated email marketing program from the ground up, building processes for campaign development, scheduling, and performance analysis. Shipped responsive HTML campaigns through GovDelivery with A/B testing, automated seasonal-staff comms (including Election Day logistics), and authored the SOPs the team still runs on.

    • GovDelivery
    • HTML Email
    • MJML
    • A/B Testing
    • CRM
  3. 2018 — 2025

    Developer · Webdroid

    Built responsive web apps and email templates for retail and SMB clients. Engineered custom storefronts on WordPress/WooCommerce and Shopify (Liquid), integrated Stripe, and stood up analytics dashboards via GA4 and Google Tag Manager. Established CI/CD pipelines with GitHub Actions deploying to Vercel.

    • React
    • Next.js
    • Node.js
    • Tailwind CSS
    • WordPress
    • Shopify
    • Firebase
    • Stripe
  4. 2021 — 2023

    Web Development Advocate · Journi

    Designed and delivered technical curriculum covering HTML, CSS, and responsive design. Organized community engagement events to promote tech career awareness and led workshops that translated abstract concepts into hands-on practice for new learners.

    • HTML
    • CSS
    • Curriculum Design
    • Workshops
View Full Résumé

Projects

  • Notion-like App

    A block-based document editor inspired by Notion. Supports rich text, drag-and-drop blocks, image uploads with WeakMap-backed storage, multi-image batching, and a shared editor surface that keeps DOM-measured block heights honest during inserts.

    • Next.js
    • React
    • TypeScript
    • Tailwind CSS
    • Vercel

Writing

Coming soon.

I'm putting together a few pieces on building email programs in the public sector, accessibility-first vendor reviews, and the unglamorous parts of digital strategy. Check back shortly.