Greater Midland's Cross-Generational Impact: Meet Terri Johnson

Watch Episode 29 of
The Max Loves Midland Show

Terri Johnson, In Her Own Words:

“I'm Terri Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Greater Midland.

I grew up in Saginaw. As a child, I roamed the halls of Dow, where my dad worked for decades. Right out of college, I followed in his footsteps and spent over 35 years with the company. I took a diverse path in customer service, marketing and sales until I leaned into my communication and business degree and entered public affairs. I led business communication, geographic communication, crisis communications, community outreach, our Dow Foundation and corporate citizenship work, executive communications, and eventually a complete employee experience strategy. I built a listening strategy and strived to ask how we could turn inward, not just to communicate, but to uplift what it means to work for the company, and how you build loyalty, attraction, and retention. It was an amazing experience and one that I hoped gave back to the employees, company and community.

I came to Greater Midland in 2021, believing in what we do and our impact in the community. Before joining the staff, I also served on the Community Center board and as a Trustee of the organization. In my first months, I listened and integrated, then started building a long-term strategy and a clear purpose and values. The way nonprofits operate today requires a drive towards self-sufficiency. Philanthropy is critical, but you must be financially sustainable to exist. This role at this stage of life, moving from a long corporate career to a mission-based community rooted in purpose, has been genuinely fulfilling. It has been a blessing.

Greater Midland is one of the largest employers in the county, often someone's first job. That comes with responsibility. Our employees learn to show up on time, fulfill responsibilities, earn a paycheck, and file taxes. We pride ourselves on educating young people new to the workforce, but we also employ seasoned professionals. Throughout the year, we engage over 600 employees.

Our footprint is larger than many realize. Greater Midland is proud to bring the services and impact from several Operating Units to our region: the Community Center, Curling Center, Tennis Center, North Midland Family Center in Mills Township, the Coleman Family Center in Coleman, and Corporate Wellness that supports fitness centers for large and small employers. We facilitate middle school sports. We hire officials and coaches. We flex up for summer camps and wind down when the seasons shift.

Early care and education is a significant part of our mission. Our Community Center campus serves about one hundred twenty kids daily from infancy through preschool. Across our sites, we reach about two hundred fifty early-care children. We partner with Midland Public Schools to conduct programs that support another four hundred students before and after school. In the summer, we welcome about five thousand kids into camps. Parents rely on these programs. Our team navigates subsidies and financial support so more families can access high-quality care. We balance early care with programs that carry more financial weight. It is mission-critical work, sustained by a diversified portfolio. We aim to affirm that childcare providers are skilled and trained teachers doing vital and challenging work.

Community is personal for me. I am now officially a longer-term Midland resident than Saginaw. My husband, Tim, also grew up in Saginaw. We have three adult children, two grandsons, and a lot of airline miles. Our kids came up through Chestnut Hill, Northeast, and Midland High. Our schools unite this community through arts, athletics, and the classroom.

These days, Tim still plays in the Greater Midland basketball leagues and works out every morning. We have found a new love for golf together. We love to grab dinner downtown, head to the brewery, catch a Loons game, and keep close to parents who are nearing ninety. Holding on to those relationships while cheering our kids on as they build their lives is a blessing.

For the future of Midland County, I want young people to know they can get what they seek right here. I want them to stay or return and find a high quality of life, a thriving professional path, and a social fabric that welcomes them. I want our community to keep strengthening child care, housing, and talent pathways so you do not have to give one up to live here. I want to keep telling the bigger story consistently and purposefully so people see that Greater Midland is part of one infrastructure of belonging. ”