He earned a bachelor's degree in theater design and production from Missouri State University and a master's degree in costume design from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. While employed at John Kristiansen NY, a theatrical costume shop in New York City, he worked on "Avenue Q" (Las Vegas), "Spirit of the Tiger," "Spamalot," "Little Women" and Britney Spears' Hotel Onyx tour. Richard Lawrence Johnson is a professor and chair of Coastal's Department of Music. He earned a doctorate in conducting from Michigan State University and both bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. As a conductor, Johnson is internationally known for his interpretation of the music of composer David Rakowski. He has served on executive boards for state arts councils, the Maryland Music Educators Association and other organizations.