“For me, communication is how we create trust inside and outside our organization,” said Johnson. “That trust is what we need to be successful.”

Externally, Johnson expanded Cherryland’s CEO communication strategy to a multipronged, multimedia approach that includes a print magazine column, a blog, videos and podcasts. Now, important messaging about energy policy and cooperative challenges and opportunities reaches nearly three times more members and community leaders.

Internally, her initiatives include “People Leaders Meetings,” designed to create a bridge between staff, supervisors and senior leaders. She also decided to keep the CEO’s office in a central area of the building to maximize communication with staff, a decision that will carry over to Cherryland’s new headquarters, scheduled to open in early 2028.

“The designers had planned a more traditional location, with the CEO’s office in the corner, but I said, ‘Oh, no. Let’s keep it where it is,’” she said.

Colleagues say these and other initiatives are symbolic of Johnson’s leadership style: authentic, transparent and accessible, qualities that have shaped the co-op’s culture and boosted member engagement.

Her approach is getting noticed, earning her the 2026 J.C. Brown CEO Communication Leadership Award, presented Monday at NRECA's CEO Close-Up in Palm Desert, California. The honor, named for the late editor and publisher of NRECA's RE Magazine, recognizes an electric cooperative CEO or general manager who is committed to advancing communication at the co-op and in the industry.

“Communication isn't an afterthought; it's a strategic priority and vital leadership competency,” Johnson told fellow electric co-op leaders after receiving the award from NRECA CEO Jim Matheson. “Our ability to communicate authentically and build enduring relationships will determine how successfully we navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.”

Johnson said her experience as the co-op’s former communications and member relations manager influenced her leadership approach. In that role, she was the co-developer of the Member Loyalty Index, now used nationally to measure member engagement.

One award judge summed up Johnson as “an extraordinary communications leader” whose commitment to outreach and accessibility results in “surround-sound success on key issues.”

The J.C. Brown award, first presented in 2004, was established by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators and the Certified Cooperative Communicator Program Board. Judges are communications and management experts from academia and business, including co-ops.