As the CEO and President of the Greater Brazos Partnership, Tom Johnson has more than two decades of economic development experience across four states. Before this role, he led Elevate Rapid City, a regional development corporation in western South Dakota, where he positioned Rapid City as the 36th fastest-growing city in the US. During his tenure, he merged a chamber, economic and workforce development, a business incubator, and brought under Elevate’s umbrella a development authority, a pre-seed accelerator, and a foundation focused on housing, childcare, and workforce mobility. He also developed numerous innovative programs, including an equity fund, a child-care loan program, and was at the center in the establishment of an Innovation District in the downtown core with over $30 million in development projects. Previously, Johnson was the Director of Economic Development and Community Engagement at Colorado State University, where he led CSU’s economic and community development programs. And prior to that role, he was the Chief Performance Officer of the Wyoming Business Council, where he managed five divisions and an annual budget in the tens of millions. He successfully helped to recruit diverse businesses to the state, including manufacturing, life sciences, distribution centers, and corporate headquarters. Beyond his professional achievements, Johnson is an accomplished poet with hundreds of published works in literary journals over the past two decades. When not working or writing, he enjoys hiking with his wife and dog, and has the unusual habit of pondering discount rates while listening to true-crime podcasts.