USDANEWS VOLUME 56 NO. 5 - MAY 1997

Editor's Roundup
USDA people in the news

Judy Johnson was selected as the regional conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service's South Central Region, based in Fort Worth, Texas. This is a newly-created position as part of an NRCS reorganization in 1995.

From May 1994 until her selection, Johnson served as director of strategic planning for NRCS at the agency's headquarters office in Washington, DC. She was director of NRCS's Office of Public Affairs from 1992-94, after having been its associate director from 1991-92. From 1990-91 she served as the agency's state conservationist in Connecticut, based in Storrs. She was deputy state conservationist in Massachusetts, based in Amherst, from 1988-89.

Johnson served as the agency's first National Earth Team coordinator from 1985-88, where she was based at the Soil and Water Conservation Society's international headquarters in Ankeny, Iowa. She worked as a community planner based at the agency's Iowa state headquarters office in Des Moines, from 1984-85. She joined the agency in 1980 as a resource conservation and development community planner based in Fairfield, Iowa.

From 1975-80, while living in Fairfield, Johnson worked as a consultant under contract with the U.S. Department of Justice to introduce community crime prevention concepts--which were initially developed in England--to law enforcement officials and community action groups nationwide. As part of that effort she helped develop and introduce Crime Dog "McGruff" to the nation. She also founded the Iowa Crime Prevention Center in 1977.

A native of Corwith, Iowa, where she was raised on a 160-acre grain and livestock farm, Johnson holds a B.S. degree in public administration and criminal justice administration from Park College in Parkville, Mo. ¤

Inside the "USDA NEWS" News and Current Information	Past Issues USDA's ...Homepage