Mr. Johnston was appointed Executive Vice President of the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation in June 2008. Mr. Johnston is primarily responsible for marketing and business attraction programs at the CCREDC.

 

Prior to joining the professional team at the CCREDC, he served as the President/CEO of six regional economic development organizations/Chambers of Commerce, including senior leadership capacities in the Colorado and Texas Economic Development Organizations. Mr. Johnston was raised in Houston and worked in the Rio Grande Valley, Denton and Austin. During the last thirty three years, Mr. Johnston has helped create and implement economic development programs that have helped attract more than one hundred new primary employers, hundreds of millions of dollars in new capital investment, and thousands of new job opportunities for local residents.

 

Mr. Johnston is internationally recognized as a leader in economic development. He has chaired the professional certification board of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and has served on their governing Board. The IEDC selected Mr. Johnston as a “Fellow Member” in 2002, an honor conferred upon members who have achieved “exceptional stature” in the practice of economic development. He was selected as the “Economic Developer of the Year” in New Mexico and received two top Colorado economic development awards. Mr. Johnston was appointed by the First Minister of Scotland as a Global Scot.

 

He earned a bachelors degree in business administration from the University of North Texas and is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute and the US Chamber’s Post Graduate Institute. Mr. Johnston has chaired numerous state and regional Economic Development Organizations, including the Mountain States Association.

 

Mr. Johnston lives in Corpus Christi with his wife Beverly. They have two children and four grandchildren. They enjoy hiking, music and skiing.