I had the privilege of meeting Chris during his leadership at the National Kidney Foundation of Southern California and Southern Nevada. His empathetic and compassionate approach immediately stood out to me. It was clear that this mindset was central to his ability to inspire others, unite teams, and effectively communicate the organization’s mission and vision. His leadership genuinely motivated me to get involved.

• Javed Bhaghani – President, Biscayne Hospitality

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I worked with Chris when I was the Chief Executive Officer for the American Red Cross Bay Area, one of the nations largest (and arguably best) chapters, headquartered in San Francisco - serving the greater Bay Area. Chris was the leader of our communications team and was responsible for our engagement with media, community leaders and partners. He represented Red Cross in a partnership we had with the first lady of California Maria Shriver, actress Jamie Lee Curtis and Safeway stores in a statewide preparedness initiative that was extremely successful.

• Harold Brooks – Principal, Global Community Resilience Institute

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Chris is a visionary leader, able to see the big picture and look towards the future. Strategic leadership and then some! His extensive work with nonprofit organizations has made them all stronger.

• Mary L Watt -Chief Encouragement Officer

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I've had the privilege of working with Chris Johnson for over 20 years, and I can say without hesitation that he’s one of the most visionary and effective nonprofit leaders I’ve ever known.

Chris leads with both head and heart. During his tenure as President and CEO of Nation’s Finest, he helped transform the organization into a nationally recognized leader in veterans’ care. Revenues more than tripled, and he launched impactful programs - including mobile service units during COVID - to reach veterans in rural and underserved areas with critical health and wellness resources. He also expanded services around housing, mental health, job training, and homelessness prevention, all while building strong partnerships and high-performing teams.

What truly sets Chris apart is his ability to bring people together for a greater good. He earns trust, inspires those around him, and never loses sight of the mission. Any organization would be lucky to have his steady leadership, strategic vision, and deep commitment to service.

• Kevin Herglotz – Founder & CEO, HPA Strategies

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Chris is a people connector, great listener and effective communicator. We have served on community boards together, produced events, and provided projects supporting each other’s professional tasks. This is the man to work with when you need a secret ingredient guaranteeing success. He is a strategic thinker who studies the inside and outside of the box before making a decision. His creativity and ability to get complex things accomplished in a simple way, with grace and professionalism always ends with the best results.

His public relations and marketing skills are stellar. He practices strategic non-profit leadership skills with the precision of an artist. While practitioners may operate like champion chess players, Chris is the Grandmaster, weaving strategy with networking building profitable results. I would recommend him in a heartbeat.

He knows how to set a clear vision, aligning his resources while inspiring teammates eager and excited to work with him. As an effective leader in non-profit organizations his goal is to always achieve meaningful impact. He is adaptable to change and has proved his value in positions when leadership skills or a strong consulting relationship is required.

Chris is a visionary, thought provoking executive who knows how to develop a well defined plan. He will outline strategic goals and action steps crucial for achieving sustainable impact. He has a ton of experience managing financial resources effectively; and expertise securing funding through various grants, contacts and creative channels essential for nonprofit organizations.

• Jay Berger – Owner, Innovative Marketing

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I met Chris when we were both supporting the American Red Cross efforts during the San Diego Fires in 2003 - I was working for Maria Shriver at the time and our team, including Kevin Herglotz at Safeway, came up with a brilliant plan to put together emergency evacuation kits which would be sold in Safeway stores. Years later, I had the chance to work for Chris as my client as he led Nation's Finest, am amazing organization, as they celebrated their 50th Anniversary - Chris and I came up with the idea to honor 50 Americans who have helped veterans over the years since they returned from Vietnam without support of the Ametican public. 50 for 50 our program was called and included many amazing people, from corporate leaders to people in small towns making a difference; from elected officials to entertainment leaders - it was very successful from a fundraising and PR point of view to energise the 50 year old $38M organization. Chris is one of the best non-profit leaders in the business! And I have worked with many in my career!

• Cathie Bennett Warner – Chair, Napa Valley State Parks Association

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I have known Chris professionally over 30 years and I continue to be amazed at his leadership skills and his commitment to building productive teams and staffs that are highly productive. Chris is excellent developing strategic alliances and is able to achieve short and long term benefits because of his excellent guidance in marketing and fundraising. I worked with Chris when was the Marketing Director for the Nut Tree. I owned a radio station in Sacramento. We collaborated to create excellent regional events that enhanced both of our businesses. Most recently, I served as Board the Directors for Nation’s Finest. Chris was the Executive Director. Chris received many accolades for his staff development and the outstanding achievements over the years.

• Mary Nicholson – Executive Director, Healings In Motion

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Chris Johnson is an insightful, smart non profit executive. During our time working at the American Red Cross, Chris displayed over and over an aptitude for big picture thinking. He is solutions oriented and pays attention to the ideas and contributions of those around him.
Chris easy going manner makes him approachable and accessible to people. This is a highly effective skill in community building and in meeting goals. It was truly a pleasure to work with him.

• Carol Yelverton – Principle, Yelverton Communications

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Chris is a very professional and caring person. He was very instrumental in helping to establish the first minority outreach program for Latinos in the history of the Red Cross which was nationally recognized for its actions. He exemplifies great leadership skills and is very committed to strong values and business principles. He is the type of leader that I would follow in any enterprise.

• Raul Aguilar – President, Matrix Sound

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Chris is equally skilled in communications and management He is a visionary director who often leads our Division in taking on new challenges and offering practical solutions.

• Tim Miller – Country Director, Peace Corps

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Getting to know and work with Chris was a like a breath of fresh air. Seldom have I met someone so creative who models solid marketing strategies. His creative work at the California Ag Museum and the shark exhibit at Marine World were, and still are world-class customer experiences. He understands his audiences and how to engage them in a compelling and immersive brand experience using out-of-the-box creative and execution. I was so impressed with Chris's unique right/left brain skill set that I sought him to become a manager at Intel’s corporate marketing group. I would be thrilled to have an opportunity to work with Chris any time!

• Peter Morgan – CEO, The Peter Morgan Group

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Chris Johnson has an amazing ability to listen, better than anyone I know.  He knows what I’m thinking, how I think and how I view the world as well or better than anyone.
Chris only works with people he believes in. If you are lucky enough to fall into that category, jump at the chance to work with him.

• Scott Friedman – President, Scott Friedman Financial

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 Chris is without equal as a fund raiser. (I selected this phrase with care... not flattery.) Within days after 9/11 he had raised over $1,000,000 from the region known as the Pikes Peak Chapter of the American Red Cross. This was unmatched by any other Chapter in the country! And there are many Chapters that are far more affluent than this one.

Chris has always had a "can do" attitude backed up by ability. He is the real thing and a solid asset to the community he serves. He can be counted on to take the lead and accomplish what he sets out to do... if not more. He is a real person with a sense of purpose not posturing. Any organization, community or cause that is affiliated with Chris is fortunate indeed. I only wish there was a way to run off duplicates of him in a time when we need accomplishments not promises.

My observations and assessment are based on my position as a past chairman of the board of directors of the Pikes Peak Chapter of the American Red Cross.

• Gary Megel – Founder, Megel’s Jewelers

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Chris Johnson is a very creative person who thinks outside the box in search of innovative solutions to problems that arise. As a manager, he is supportive of his staff and appreciates their contributions. Chris cares about the morale of his direct reports and does what he can to make the workplace a worthwhile place to be.

• Monique Kundahl – Senior Change Implementation, Wells Fargo

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Chris Johnson has an amazing ability to connect and communicate with industry leaders, elected representatives and the general public. With his extensive experience in the non-profit and the corporate sectors he brings tremendous expertise and leadership to handling difficult situations such as public emergencies in the most sensitive, poised and effective manner.

• Bhalchander Vishwanath – CEO, Novaguild

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Chris is a motivated manager of people and ideas. As CEO of a multi-million dollar non-profit organization with dozens of employee and hundreds of volunteers, he has proven himself to possess leadership and vision, often under very challenging circumstances.

• Jeff Gorell – Chair, Ventura County Board of Supervisors