Colleen Russo Johnson, PhD

VP of Digital and Cultural Consumer Insights at Nickelodeon

Speaker

Dr. Colleen Russo Johnson is a developmental psychologist with an expertise in children's tech & media. At Nickelodeon, she oversees the research relating to children’s digital content and provides landscape and cultural insights for Noggin, Nickelodeon, and Paramount.

Colleen was previously the Co-Founder and Chief Scientist of the award-winning EdTech app, OK Play, a creative community built for kids to create, play and share content. At OK Play, which was acquired by a fast-growing web3 company, Colleen oversaw the Curriculum, UX Research, and Trust & Safety teams. She has also served as the Director of Research of Sinking Ship Entertainment, working on both Emmy-award winning children’s TV shows and apps, and has consulted for various companies.

She is the co-author of bestselling children's books in the Dino Dana Field Guide trilogy. Passionate about bridging the academic-industry divide, Colleen is an adjunct professor at Toronto Metropolitan University where she co-founded the Children’s Media Lab and was a founding co-director of the Center for Scholars and Storytellers at UCLA. She holds a PhD from Vanderbilt University where she was a National Science Foundation graduate fellow.