Lauri Johnson, who previously served as the principal of Dalton Middle School, was named the principal of Hammond Creek Middle School in March 2020. She has been in this role since Hammond Creek opened in August 2021. Johnson began work at Dalton Public Schools in 2019. 

Prior to joining Dalton Public Schools, Johnson served as the director of organizational improvement for the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to that time, Johnson worked in Decatur City Schools in Decatur, Georgia, as the director of secondary education and the principal of Decatur High School.

She holds a master's degree in information science from University at Albany, Albany, New York and a Bachelor of Art in English from State University of New York at Stony Brook. She has conducted post-master's coursework in curriculum and instruction at Georgia State University and holds her Educational Leadership Certificate from the University of Georgia.