Episode 36 – Justice, Leadership, and Legacy: Greta Johnson’s Bold Path in Public Service

Todd Bertsch: 0:00

Listeners, get ready for a powerful and inspiring conversation on the Bolt. Today’s guest, Greta Johnson, brings a wealth of experience in public service, law and advocacy. Greta has spent the last eight years serving as Director of Communications, assistant Chief of Staff and Public Information Officer for Summit County and public information officer for Summit County. Before that, she was a state representative in the Ohio House, where she quickly rose to become the lead Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee. A former prosecutor with more than a decade of legal experience, greta has been a fierce advocate for victims’ rights, criminal justice reform and equality for all. With multiple degrees from the University of Akron, including a JD and a master’s in higher education, greta continues to use her voice and influence to shape policy and serve the people of Ohio with passion, purpose and integrity. Greta, welcome to the Bolt Podcast, my friend.

Greta Johnson: 1:04

Thank you, Todd. That is a very nice complimentary introduction. I appreciate it.

Todd Bertsch: 1:09

Well, yeah, that’s short and sweet compared to what you supplied me with. You have quite an impressive background. Thank you, journey.

Greta Johnson: 1:20

I still think I’m young, so to hear that career laid out in front of me it reminds me that I’ve been an attorney for a lot longer than I think sometimes.

Todd Bertsch: 1:29

Yeah, yeah, it’s been a fun journey for you, huh.

Greta Johnson: 1:33

It has been very, very rewarding. I had no idea that I would be obviously sitting here when I graduated from law school over 20 years ago, but I feel like I’ve had really good opportunities put in my path, so it’s been a great experience.

Todd Bertsch: 1:50

Yeah, so do you feel like they were put in your path or you carved your own path, because you seem like a very determined individual.

Greta Johnson: 2:00

I would say yes to both of those I really do subscribe to. You know, there’s a little bit of luck in everything, and the harder I work, the luckier I get. I really think that that is a quote that I have seen in my life. I really feel that I’ve always had a five-minute plan, not a five-year plan Interesting and that I’ve always had a five-minute plan not a five-year plan.

Greta Johnson: 2:25

I feel really strongly that if you’re doing the best you can right in that moment, the opportunities will come. So the opportunities being put in front of me. There’s some luck to that being in the right place at the right time, knowing the right people, knowing the right people. But the other part is that I work really hard wherever I am so that when opportunities come up, other people I think think of me, and I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of great people in my life who have thought of me in ways that I might not have otherwise thought of myself.

Todd Bertsch: 2:59

Yeah, you have to do the work, yes, right, yes, you have to do the work, and I think that’s what some people miss the work, yes, right, yes, you have to do the work, and I think that’s what some people miss out on yes, there’s no handouts.

Greta Johnson: 3:08

No.

Todd Bertsch: 3:09

You know, and you and I didn’t come from silver spoons.

Greta Johnson: 3:12

Definitely not.

Todd Bertsch: 3:14

So that hard work ethic. Where do you think that comes from?

Greta Johnson: 3:18

Oh, definitely from my parents.

Todd Bertsch: 3:20

Yeah.

Greta Johnson: 3:20

Both of my parents were public servants. Okay, Both of my parents were public servants, so my mom was a teacher and my dad, when I was very young, was an air traffic controller.

Todd Bertsch: 3:32

Oh.

Greta Johnson: 3:33

And lost his job in 1981 with the air traffic controller strike. Oh wow, I watched my dad work lots of different jobs when I was quite young, working his way up at a local factory, and I watched my mom at the same time, who had been a stay-at-home mom. She went back to college Long before we were doing classes over Zoom. I can remember my mom getting up very early and watching PBS. They were doing classes through a local community college and she would watch the lecture in the morning.

Todd Bertsch: 4:14

Really On PBS. Yes, oh, cool, the local PBS Right right.

Greta Johnson: 4:19

Get us ready for school and then she would go to work for school and then she would go to work and she worked at a grocery store and she was a police dispatcher and then put herself through school again to become a teacher. So I have seen both of my parents do whatever needed to be done to keep our family going, but I didn’t realize as a kid the sacrifices they were making. I just saw them working hard and that looked a lot like most of my friends’ families and all of us sort of being from what I would call pretty humble beginnings. So that’s where I think I just saw it. Every day my parents got up and went to work and worked hard, and we worked hard in the yard and we worked hard when we were practicing for sports and they just took a lot of pride in the life that we were all building together.

Todd Bertsch: 5:13

Yeah, I can absolutely relate to that. Same here, blue collar. Both my parents worked two jobs, as long as I can remember, to help, you know, give us a good education and provide basic things. It was definitely humble beginnings but I think you get a sense of pride. You don’t know that at that age but now, looking back and reflecting, you can see where that nucleus was built.

Greta Johnson: 5:43

I remember saying to my parents this was probably oh gosh, over 10 years ago. As I looked back, I didn’t know, we were poor, and I said that. And my mom said, well then, we were doing something right. I didn’t know how much they were struggling at certain times, especially when my dad had lost his job with the FAA.

Greta Johnson: 6:04

I just didn’t know I was pretty young, I was four with the FAA. I just didn’t know, I was pretty young, I was four or five, six, but I didn’t know. We still had what I thought was a very comfortable life. So, I attribute a lot of that to their hard work and making sure that I didn’t feel that struggle was really important to them.

Todd Bertsch: 6:26

Yeah, yeah, same here. My dad was in the rubber factory, as many in this area were, and got laid off, and I think we were on food stamps for minutes, I was told, but I certainly don’t remember that you know we always had food and shelter Right. You know the basic necessities, and if we wanted something extra or nicer, then we went and worked for it.

Greta Johnson: 6:49

You know.

Todd Bertsch: 6:49

so I was shoveling snow, mowing grass, then a paper boy, and so I’ve always worked to get the fancy pair of cleats or the BMX bike or you know whatever it was.

Greta Johnson: 7:03

Yeah, I think we talk about that being humble and working hard. But, at the time I also didn’t know. I was very sheltered in a way that I did not have a good world understanding of what poverty really looked like and what real financial struggles looked like. We were not vacationing every summer or doing fancy things ever and there was one car that usually needed fixed in the driveway, but I feel lucky that that was as bad as it ever got for us.

Todd Bertsch: 7:42

So I’m sure you Same thing. We were actually just talking about this the other night, about vacations as kids and I don’t remember maybe Myrtle Beach once.

Greta Johnson: 7:53

Right, we went to Virginia Beach once and went to. Florida once when I was in high school, right.

Todd Bertsch: 7:58

Easy one that you could drive to. I know, we certainly didn’t fly. I don’t ever remember flying, but yeah, yeah, no, we certainly didn’t fly. I don’t ever remember flying, but yeah.

Greta Johnson: 8:05

Yeah, good stuff, yeah, it was but, I have no, yeah, but I have no when I look back, there’s no like longing for having something different. I had the greatest childhood, great childhood, friends, you know, the neighborhood gang riding our bikes all over town.

Todd Bertsch: 8:20

Exactly For sure. Yeah, playing football, yes, With football. You know some sport, whatever it was Overtown Exactly For sure. Yeah, playing football? Yes, wiffle ball, some sport, whatever it was. I’d rather do that than go on vacation.

Greta Johnson: 8:29

Right, that’s what my summers were filled with. I lived for that For sure. I was telling my kids the other day they all walk around with these giant water bottles.

Todd Bertsch: 8:37

Oh my gosh, those Stanley huge.

Greta Johnson: 8:39

Stanley cups. I can’t remember drinking water as a kid.

Todd Bertsch: 8:44

It was Kool-Aid Right when you went to someone’s house.

Greta Johnson: 8:49

It was the nasty Kool-Aid, the little hugs, I don’t remember. We’d hit our bikes in the morning, maybe a drink from a hose to be very cliche. No, but that was it. We didn’t have these expensive water bottles that they can’t go without now. Yeah, if any water.

Todd Bertsch: 9:04

it was from the spigot or the hose, which was Right nasty. From the hose was nasty. You could smell and taste the difference.

Greta Johnson: 9:12

Yeah, but if you were thirsty enough, you did it. Yeah, for sure.

Todd Bertsch: 9:16

That’s so funny. Were you a tomboy growing up?

Greta Johnson: 9:20

I guess sort of.

Todd Bertsch: 9:22

Because you were always pretty involved in sports, right?

Greta Johnson: 9:24

Yes, but I grew, I guess sort of Okay, because you were always pretty involved in sports, right? Yes, but I grew up in a very small town and the only sport I played when I was little was like t-ball and softball. That was all that was available before you got into junior high.

Greta Johnson: 9:38

There wasn’t a youth league for a lot of things. There were little basketball clinics here and there. I was just very much playing with kids all the time. We had lots of kids our age. I have an older brother, but there were a lot of kids in the neighborhood right around that five years. So we were just bike riders playing in the backyard putting up a volleyball net then. So I guess kind of a tomboy, but man did. I love my Barbies.

Todd Bertsch: 10:08

I mean so, oh gosh, yes.

Greta Johnson: 10:11

So you know I sort of a mix of both. Yeah, I would help my dad wash cars in the driveway but, you know, help my mom in the kitchen. So sort of a little bit of everything.

Todd Bertsch: 10:22

Yeah For sure. So you hung the volleyball net. Was that your first foray into what would be kind of a career in volleyball?

Greta Johnson: 10:31

I think so I can remember playing in the backyard a little bit but really didn’t get super invested into it. Until high school I had a great high school volleyball coach who invested in kids. She really took the time to know the athletes on her team and she started, with a couple of other local high school coaches a junior Olympic club program. For some of us who really wanted to see what else was available to us.

Greta Johnson: 11:09

So yeah, just again, like I said, I was putting in the work, but I got really lucky to have invested adults in my life who were willing to do a little extra work, to give me the opportunity to see what I could really do. So I’m very lucky in that regard and and I’m happy to see that sport has really, really grown.

Todd Bertsch: 11:28

Oh yeah, it has. I love watching it, especially the college. It’s so, so fun to watch.

Greta Johnson: 11:34

It’s a very different game even now than when I was in college, so much faster.

Todd Bertsch: 11:39

Oh it is crazy.

Greta Johnson: 11:41

I just the girls and women are so athletic, and how hard oh yeah, I mean, what are we talking?

Todd Bertsch: 11:47

How fast are those coming in those spikes?

Greta Johnson: 11:51

Well, and a lot of the girls and women playing now really specialize in one sport.

Todd Bertsch: 11:58

Yeah.

Greta Johnson: 11:58

And I was. You know I played volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter.

Todd Bertsch: 12:02

Right, we played the trio, sure and now there’s really this push to be.

Greta Johnson: 12:04

I played volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter Right the trio, sure and now there’s really this push to be just a one-sport athlete. So I think they’re hyper-focused on those skills.

Todd Bertsch: 12:14

Right, yeah, yeah, good, bad or indifferent.

Greta Johnson: 12:17

Right, we could have a whole conversation. I know we could spend an hour talking about youth sports Because it’s changed.

Todd Bertsch: 12:22

Yes, so this led you into, because you ended up playing varsity volleyball at the University of Akron.

Greta Johnson: 12:28

I did. Yeah, it was a great opportunity to be able to put myself through college.

Todd Bertsch: 12:35

Yeah, so you got a ride.

Greta Johnson: 12:37

I did. I was a full scholarship athlete at the University of Akron.

Todd Bertsch: 12:41

Oh, good for you, that’s awesome.

Greta Johnson: 12:42

It was, and I was able to travel the United States by way of college campus, so an extraordinary opportunity to see, you know, george Washington and Duke, and we were in Montana and I went to Pepperdine. You know places that I would not have been able to go to as a college student otherwise. So that I feel was an incredibly valuable part of the student-athlete experience just seeing all of those different places across the country. But it was work. Some people refer to it as a free ride and I sort of roll my eyes to that and it doesn’t feel free. Shoulder, knees, ankle, that feels pretty expensive.

Greta Johnson: 13:26

But there’s really no complaints about the opportunity it afforded me to put myself through school.

Todd Bertsch: 13:33

Yeah. Yeah, we’ve had a few college athletes on the show.

Greta Johnson: 13:37

Shout out, jay Winkler, yeah.

Todd Bertsch: 13:40

And Coach Jojo. So it’s’s interesting. We talk about the influence that the sports athletics had on you and now into your profession and as a leader, what kind of influence can you recall athletics having?

Greta Johnson: 13:57

The women I played with in college were just extraordinary. You know, I think maybe one out of the I think there were about 20 women in my four years at Akron Maybe one played a little bit of professional volleyball, but that was it. You know, we were all really clear that this was it for us.

Greta Johnson: 14:21

We were going to make the most of our athletic abilities in this college venue. But they are just. They were such exceptional students and such exceptional people. You know, I admired the upper class, the women that I was playing with. Just remember thinking as a young freshman, there were women who were about to graduate in nursing programs and I’m thinking they’re like literally going to save lives and you know. But we’re all out here having fun and you know, playing volleyball and having some fun on the weekends and, you know, doing the college experience thing. I just remember being sort of in awe of how these women were balancing the demands of athletics and school and family and being a good friend, and I remember really sort of trying to take that in and taking those pieces of what it means to be a really well-rounded individual, because of course my mom was doing it when.

Greta Johnson: 15:26

I was growing up, but it’s just different when you see your peers sort of doing it all and doing it really well.

Todd Bertsch: 15:35

Wow, the fact that you recognize that, though at that age.

Greta Johnson: 15:39

Well undeniable women.

Todd Bertsch: 15:41

Yeah.

Greta Johnson: 15:41

Truly undeniable women who just are crushing it still in life and just really valued members of their communities. But I can really just remember being like I better get my shit together because these women have it together and I want to be that yeah.

Todd Bertsch: 15:59

That’s cool. So in some ways, mentors For sure To you.

Greta Johnson: 16:05

Exemplary role models for me, no question, and I don’t say that just about the upperclassmen. Also, the women who were my age or a year older just really seemed to be setting the pace of. On this team. We get good grades, we all go to class, we all show up for each other, we do well on the court and off the court and we represent this team and each other in a way that makes us all proud. So, almost without exception, that was really what we expected of each other.

Todd Bertsch: 16:40

Yeah, that’s great. I think it’s important. Our surroundings have a tremendous influence on who we are and what we do, right? So you had a great group of people and mentors and coaches throughout your life. That really set you down the right path.

Greta Johnson: 16:59

So you took advantage of it.

Todd Bertsch: 17:01

So let’s talk about this amazing career, very impressive career. Did you know as a kid that you wanted to get into law?

Greta Johnson: 17:08

You know a lot of kids, right? What are you going to be?

Todd Bertsch: 17:10

I want to be a doctor, I want to be a lawyer.

Greta Johnson: 17:13

No, I mean, I was definitely a smart mouth kid who I know I heard several times oh, she’s going to make a great lawyer. But when I was in college my undergraduate degree was in secondary ed. I thought I was going to be a high school English teacher.

Todd Bertsch: 17:27

That was.

Greta Johnson: 17:28

That was the path I was on. What?

Todd Bertsch: 17:32

changed.

Greta Johnson: 17:33

I, I, I decided to go to grad school Again, working hard, great opportunity in front of me to continue my education. Grad school I worked for the senior woman administrator in the athletic department as her grad assistant. Her first year as an admissions professional was my first year on campus and she was just very supportive, offered me the position and I was like that sounds great. I don’t have to get a real job yet, I can keep going to school.

Todd Bertsch: 18:09

On campus. Like perfect really.

Greta Johnson: 18:12

And I was very interested in learning more about the administrative side of college sports. You know, the mid to late 90s were really creeping up on that pivotal shift of the conversation of paying student athletes, monetizing their performance. There was a lot of discussion happening because it’s such a big business.

Greta Johnson: 18:36

So, I was very interested in learning about the business side of college sports. So I worked on my master’s degree in higher ed, sort of at that point thinking I’ll stay in higher ed and perhaps athletic administration. I was working on that and I had a great class where the professor was from Tri-C. He was teaching the law of higher education.

Todd Bertsch: 19:09

And.

Greta Johnson: 19:10

I loved that class. I didn’t love all of my master’s classes, but that one in particular was exceptional, and this is a ridiculous story, but it was one of those classes that was at night. It was like 6.30 to 9.30 once a week.

Todd Bertsch: 19:24

It’s a rough one.

Greta Johnson: 19:25

I was working during the day, going to school at night and we had like a 15-minute break. And I walked outside and old school, bierce Library they had sandwich boards outside the library about what was going on. Bierce Library they had sandwich boards outside the library about what was going on. And there was a law school fair that night. And I was like I’m in a law class, let me just wander in and see what this is all about. And I started walking around and there were some law students who were, you know, repping their schools. And this one guy said to me well, you’re signed up to take the LSAT, right, and maybe me. I’m like, yeah, obviously I’m signed up to take the LSAT. Who isn’t? And so I’m taking this information. And then, as I’m leaving, I see like a folder that has LSAT information. I’m like, well, I’m going to grab that.

Greta Johnson: 20:14

I get home that night and it turns out that the deadline to sign up for the LSAT was midnight of that night and that was the late registration. So this is back in the days of like dial up. So I’m on my computer, beep boop, boop and sign up for the LSAT that night at like 1130. Did a quick like two day class locally on how to take the LSAT. Took the LSAT like three weeks later, graduated with my graduate degree on I think it was Sunday and started law school on Monday. So it was really really fast.

Todd Bertsch: 20:51

Wow, no time to even really take that in and reflect. It was kind of a knee jerk.

Greta Johnson: 20:56

Yeah, I just have always trusted my gut, and that was one where I was very certain in that moment, and once I took the LSAT I was finishing up that last semester of grad school and it started to become real like, oh, I can do this. And I was fortunate enough to do well enough on the LSAT that there was some financial assistance available. That made it a little easier to say yes, because when I called my parents and said, hey, guess what Not quite done yet they were not surprised at all, though I think. So you know those early folks who, at eight and nine years old, said, oh, this kid’s going to be a lawyer. They knew it before. I did, certainly.

Todd Bertsch: 21:42

Interesting.

Greta Johnson: 21:43

Yeah.

Todd Bertsch: 21:43

Wow In the moment. I mean that’s a big shift in the moment. So really trusting your gut, and that changed the trajectory of your life and your career.

Greta Johnson: 21:54

No question.

Todd Bertsch: 21:55

Wow, no question.

Greta Johnson: 22:21

Wow. So take us through the next steps into your first jobs and then this amazing appointment that you get on the Democratic member, not criminal law. I knew that for certain. Okay, you know I started out thinking I wanted to do some contractual work, was interested in using my athletic background, perhaps doing some agency work, repping athletes, something like that where there was some negotiation involved. But I was thinking about that.

Greta Johnson: 22:38

And then the first job I had between my first and second year of law school was working in the legal clinic at the university where we did criminal defense work, and there was something in my head that said this makes sense to me. It wasn’t great at contract work. Civil procedure did not speak to my heart, but criminal law made sense to me in a way that felt very natural. It wasn’t great at contract work. Civil procedure did not speak to my heart, but criminal law made sense to me in a way that felt very natural. And then the following year I started working in the city of Akron prosecutor’s office. I worked for GERT. So GERT has been a part of my story since I was a law student. Okay, I was a law student and again had amazing opportunities there because of people like Gert, who just took me along wherever she went, and so I really fell in love with the criminal justice system and how it worked and why it was important to have good people in it, and did some work in Mahoning County, came back to Summit County, went back to work for GERT as a prosecutor and police legal advisor and I have said often I have prosecuted every kind of criminal case, from a seatbelt violation to a capital murder case and everything in between. Oh gosh, and has been truly some of. I think the most profound experience I’ll ever have as a professional or as a person for sure, was working for Gert at the city of Akron.

Greta Johnson: 24:07

And I get this random text from a woman who worked for the mayor at the time, mayor Poskwelik, who was my boss. Essentially I worked for Gert. Gert reported to the mayor, report to the mayor’s office at one o’clock. Well, this can’t be good. Um, I went to Gert and I was like what is this? And she’s like girl, I don’t know. So I go down there and, uh, in his conference rooms the mayor, uh, at the time executive Russ Pry, was sitting there. Uh, the law director for the city was in there, and then a friend of mine, phil Montgomery, who I work with now. He was working for the mayor at the time.

Greta Johnson: 24:43

He’s standing there he gives me this big hug, I’m pitted out, I’m sweating. The mayor report here doesn’t know why. I’m like somebody died or I’m getting fired. Phil gives me a big hug and I’m like, well, this is getting really weird. I need somebody to tell me what’s going on. And it was. We’ve got this great opportunity for you. We think you would be a great candidate for state rep and I was like I’m sorry, what, what? Deep?

Todd Bertsch: 25:15

breath.

Greta Johnson: 25:15

Yeah, but at the time, sort of like the law school story, I knew immediately that I was going to say yes. Now I had, interestingly, one-year-old twins at home.

Todd Bertsch: 25:28

Oh, boy At the time yeah, a little bit more to think about. A little bit more to think about.

Greta Johnson: 25:33

Yeah. But my gut immediately was like say yes to this. But I took a couple hours and again, so lucky because everyone I talked to you know you needed to call three people and they were all if you’re in, we’re in. It was a very supportive. You know, if this is, I’m all in. So I got lucky in that regard of having people in my life who were very supportive of that decision, because I said my gut is saying to say yes. So okay, well, we’re all saying yes.

Greta Johnson: 26:06

Then, interestingly that was a Friday. I had to file my petitions by Wednesday, so I had about four days to circulate and collect signatures, filed the petitions on Wednesday and it really was a situation where it was a primary race. So I had about 90 days to run and win. So really an all hands on deck from my family and friends. We ran the campaign out of my garage fueled by the Checos and Piers pizza. I’m fueled by the Checo’s and Pierre’s pizza and you know I have people in my life who walked in more parades for me than I did because I was doing other events.

Todd Bertsch: 26:47

Right, Should we talk more about your experience there?

Greta Johnson: 26:51

Sure, you know it was a very unique time to be there, so I was elected in 14. My first term started in 15. So we are really on the precipice of the Trump election the first Trump election and the way the dynamics of politics locally and nationally changed, so it was a really interesting time to be there. I don’t recommend it. It was rough. So, as a Democrat, I was in the deepest minority Democrats had ever seen in the state house. It dipped a little bit, even below that.

Greta Johnson: 27:28

And there’s been redistricting since. But you know, really tough to be in the super minority where I don’t want to say it didn’t matter if we didn’t show up, but the majority had control of the House so that they could carry any legislation they wanted. So it really became about readjusting my priorities and sort of my expectations about how am I going to make this meaningful for the people I’m serving. It was no longer about what my agenda was. I went down there thinking I’m going to change this and I’m going to introduce this legislation and I’m going to do all of these things. And I quickly learned it wasn’t about me at all, very specifically because I did not have a lot of power in that structure. So how was I going to be able to amplify their voices, talk about what mattered to the people of the 35th district in a way that made them feel heard and hopefully, if not accomplishing what they wanted me to do, at least made it known what was on their mind. So, you know, super challenging.

Greta Johnson: 28:45

But really I learned a ton of valuable lessons down there.

Greta Johnson: 28:51

You know I’m like sort of a team sport mentality. So it was sort of a team sport, but I sort of you know sports analogies, it was more like a track team Everybody was doing their own individual thing, but at the end we were on the same team, we’re in the same uniform trying to get those team wins, but every district, so very different and what I needed to accomplish for my constituency very different from my colleagues right. So that was a really unique learning experience, and doing that against the backdrop of a very fast-changing national political landscape, and at the time the governor, governor Kasich, was running for president, so there was a different lens on the state of Ohio and what we were doing looked different, I think, than a lot of general assemblies before, um. So you know, I I learned a lot about the process. I learned a lot about how government really works, um, and how it doesn’t work, uh. So again, uh, not not glamorous or glorious, but very impactful on who I am, both professionally and personally.

Todd Bertsch: 30:04

Yeah, wow. Sounds like a great experience which gave you a taste of politics, and then you continued to stay in that. You get this great opportunity to work for the county executive in Summit County, and so now you’re doing that Right. What has that experience been like and what have been some of the challenges that you faced?

Greta Johnson: 30:29

I very firmly believe that local government is where the most impact really can be. So I am grateful to the executive for tapping me and saying how would you like to come back to county government and work on my administration? It’s been the most rewarding part of my career and I felt very good about the work I’d done as a state rep with the limited ability that I had, and I feel incredibly proud of the work I did as a prosecutor and the families I helped and the law enforcement community that I helped along the way. But the impactful work that the executive has empowered me to do in this position is truly my greatest accomplishment. The way that our county here touches people and connects them with resources and meets people where they’re at to get them where they’re going. I’m incredibly proud of that, yeah.

Todd Bertsch: 31:29

Over half a million people.

Greta Johnson: 31:30

Yeah, 540,000 people.

Todd Bertsch: 31:32

That’s a lot of people to be responsible for.

Greta Johnson: 31:34

It is yeah, but I said this to our cabinet. It is yeah, but I said this to our cabinet. It’s been a challenge, with some of the executive orders coming from the federal government and cuts to critical funding. I looked around the table at the directors and the senior staff that we have and I truly feel that this community came through the pandemic as good as, or better than, any other similarly situated community because of the leadership we had at that table, and we’ve only strengthened that team since then. So I said you know, we’ve been in really tough positions before and we have thrived. We are going to do the same thing now. So I’m surrounded by incredible professionals who are carrying the work that provides service to all these 540,000 people. It’s good. It’s a good team. They’re a good team to have when you’re a Summit County resident. Yeah, awesome when you’re a Summit County resident.

Todd Bertsch: 32:38

Yeah, Awesome. So the question bags. Would you consider running if our current county executive were to retire and or if there was a mayoral race that interested you? I’m not talking about mayor. Put you on the spot.

Greta Johnson: 32:59

I have the best. Just curious, I think I have the best job ever because the executive is so well-respected in this community and it’s her name on the door and it’s her name on the sign and the buck stops with her and she takes that responsibility. But she empowers us to be creative and innovative and do the good work. I’m able to get down into the weeds on some things and I’m able to delegate on others. So I feel like I am lucky to be in the position I’m in and I’m here. As long as she’s here, she keeps winning, I keep working and everybody’s happy. Gotcha, yeah, she’s a great boss in that she’s got finance people, she’s got economic development people. I sort of do a little bit of everything for her, but she’s very communicative. We sometimes tell her you’re in the weeds, you got to get out. I need you to go shake some hands, I need people to see you in the community. Let us worry about the spreadsheets and the details of the contracts, but she’s very involved and likes to be kept up to speed. Yeah, yeah.

Todd Bertsch: 34:18

So in all of your experience in your career, was there a moment, or have there been a few moments, where you’ve seen some success, where you’re like, wow, this I’m I’m so proud of what I’ve done here?

Greta Johnson: 34:33

Yeah, when I came to work for the executive, oh, you know, the country, ohio, specifically specifically Summit County was really in the throes of an opioid crisis. I mean, people were dying every day People still are but the magnitude of the crisis was really, really powerful at that time and I had spent the last two years at the state house having nearly weekly press conferences calling on the governor to do something, to invest rainy day funds to enact legislation that was meaningful and not punitive, and to look at addiction in a different way, and there was just really a void of leadership. So when I came to Summit County, I was, you know, really coming at the executive, like we need to do this, we need to file a lawsuit, we need to hold them accountable. You know be the person and she was like, could you wait maybe a minute, since you’ve been here and we’ll talk about this realistically and rationally. And you know I started working for her in March.

Greta Johnson: 35:42

In October, she very publicly declared a state of emergency in this county because of the opioid epidemic and then in December, we filed a lawsuit against 11 distributors and three manufacturers of opioids.

Greta Johnson: 35:58

So in December of 2017, we filed the suit and October 23rd-ish of 2019, we were standing on the courthouse steps of the federal court doing press statements about the largest settlement that had ever been accomplished yeah, been accomplished. So you know, at that moment sort of the full circle effect was so powerful and I didn’t even know at the time what we’d be able to do with that money. But to know that, you know, I had come in, tried to be the voice of the community because that was the number one concern of the constituents I had when I was in the statehouse was the opioid epidemic. But to see that we could get it done at the local level was really gratifying. Now I say that all acknowledging that the only reason we were having that moment was because of so much profound loss and suffering, and it Right. But to know that government worked in that moment felt like a really powerful thing for me.

Todd Bertsch: 37:04

Yeah, yeah, yeah, congratulations. That was a big win and I was privy to that, in fact, my company, we’ve been involved. We worked with the ADM board for a lot of years and then assisted with the Opiate Task Force Summit County Opiate Task Force website, so I got to learn a lot about these challenges and issues. And then, actually a couple months ago, do you know Travis Bornstein?

Todd Bertsch: 37:29

Oh yes, so he was on the show and talking about what he went through and his wife went through, and then the result of that, tyler’semption’s place, which is absolutely amazing.

Greta Johnson: 37:40

It is an amazing place.

Todd Bertsch: 37:41

So and we talked a lot about and, like you, he’s been a huge advocate for change and the stigma associated with addiction. So we were making progress, but we certainly have a ways to go. But I think we need to celebrate the wins because we could get really caught up in everything else. So well, that’s awesome that you guys were able to do that, and so we’re starting to see those funds be dispersed.

Greta Johnson: 38:11

Yes.

Todd Bertsch: 38:12

And hopefully, obviously, hopefully we’ll see more change.

Greta Johnson: 38:15

Absolutely Positive. That’s the plan.

Todd Bertsch: 38:18

So it’s going to take some time.

Greta Johnson: 38:20

For sure. We’ve invested $15 million back into the community already and are about to invest a significant amount with the community foundation so that it remains a resource into perpetuity for this community.

Todd Bertsch: 38:33

Endowment, yes, yeah, which is beautiful it is. It’s a good thing.

Greta Johnson: 38:38

I know that, like I said, I recognize the cost that was paid for that, but we can only do better when we know better. And so just trying to move that conversation forward about addiction and stigma and acknowledging that this was something that was done to us by, you know, big Pharma, and how we react to that and how we abate that problem, having the resources to do that now is a game changer.

Todd Bertsch: 39:05

Yeah, absolutely so. Let’s talk about leadership. I know you and I’ve had some conversations about leadership and obviously you’ve been in a leadership role for quite some time. What would you say are some of your leadership characteristics?

Greta Johnson: 39:23

I think probably what I would describe my leadership style. It’s intentional. I try to be really intentional about communicating and mentoring and team building. It doesn’t happen by accident.

Greta Johnson: 39:43

I feel like those things that I’ve just talked about come pretty natural to me. I’m very outgoing, I’m not shy, I’m pretty outspoken, but being intentional about the way you bring people together and build a team and being to support the members of the team so that they are, you know, there’s no one way to lead. There are some people who need technical feedback and some people who need a cheerleader, there are some people who need to be left alone and there are some people who need constant communication. So, understanding the way in which you can get the best performance out of those members of the team, I think probably is what I try and focus on and being really intentional about reaching out to those people in those specific ways. And I think you know there’s nothing wrong with calling yourself a leader. I believe that I am, I believe I work really hard at it and I don’t shy away from somebody saying, like you know, as a leader, you know you and I have talked about that.

Greta Johnson: 40:54

Uh, it’s a privilege and it’s when I take really seriously. So I try to be intentional about getting better at it and accepting feedback in ways that you know how can I do this better, what’s not working? You know what? Do you see that I’m not seeing those types of conversations?

Todd Bertsch: 41:13

Yeah, yeah, I absolutely love that. I approach it the same way. In fact, my focus word for this year was intentionality Just being able to actually say no more you know, like you, I’m sure, very resourceful person, huge network, lots of people coming at you, which is great.

Todd Bertsch: 41:33

I love to help people, but sometimes we need to say no and so that we can really be more intentional on, you know, the things that are, I guess, most important to us and our people. But I love that in terms of being a leader, especially within an organization, because the way that I approach it, when we talk about it in my company here, we look at the love language of each person.

Todd Bertsch: 41:58

You know, we take kind of that love language of the work love language and that’s all about spending time getting to know your people, right, that’s really what it boils down to. And when you do that spending time getting- to know your people.

Todd Bertsch: 42:05

That’s really what it boils down to, and when you do that, you can be more intentional. That’s taking it from. This isn’t just a job. You’re a human being, you’re a person and I want you to be as happy as you can be, but I also recognize you’re probably going through something and if we can’t have that conversation and build that trust, then it is just a job and I don’t know. I don’t know what I don’t. If we can’t have that conversation right and build that trust, then it is just a job and I don’t know.

Todd Bertsch: 42:29

I don’t know what I don’t know, but I’m going to assume that everybody’s struggling with something just as I am.

Greta Johnson: 42:34

We all are Right.

Todd Bertsch: 42:36

So I love that If your team would describe you in one word. Well, let’s actually take the county executive. Oh Boise, if she could describe you in one word, what would she say, you think?

Greta Johnson: 42:52

I would hope that she would say loyal.

Todd Bertsch: 42:54

Okay.

Greta Johnson: 42:56

I do my very best to approach situations in a way that she will be proud of and that she would if she were standing there doing it herself. She would be good with those decisions. I, like I said before, it’s her name on the door and I am always very cognizant of that, and sometimes when she and I have a disagreement, it ends with me saying it’s your name on the door, ma’am. If this is, you know.

Todd Bertsch: 43:26

Right.

Greta Johnson: 43:26

If you want it, I’m getting it for you. If you like it, I love it. So I think that she would come back to that.

Todd Bertsch: 43:35

I would hope, yeah, and I would think that that’s really important for the role that you’re in to be loyal Absolutely, but also to have some autonomy as well, which it sounds like.

Todd Bertsch: 43:47

You’ve said the word empowerment several times and I know that’s important and that took a while for me personally to be able to do that, especially being a business owner, because it was all about me and I was worried and it’s my brand and my name and eventually it’s like, well, it takes a village in my name and eventually it’s like, well, it takes a village. If you really want to move the needle, you need to surround yourself with good people, but you also need to allow them to do what you hire them to do. That was a lesson learned for me and uh, but I got there and yeah.

Greta Johnson: 44:20

Our friend Gert showed me that that I think I do my best to empower my team, because that’s all I ever wanted. I just wanted to be able to make decisions and do what I knew I could do. So, like you, I try and hire the very best people I can and then I just get out of their way and support them when they need it and check in on them when they need it. But I find that if you hire good people, treat them well, support them when they need it, the work tends to take care of itself. Yeah, I, you know I keep saying, as we’re facing these sort of new headwinds with cuts to funding and changes in the services we deliver, I just keep focusing on taking care of the people who take care of the people. If I can do that, they will keep doing the work. So, taking care of that group that then takes care of the next and the next, and the next until it reaches the residents Right.

Todd Bertsch: 45:24

And the next and the next until it reaches the residents Right. What’s one misconception about local government and or the legal system that you wish you could change if you could?

Greta Johnson: 45:34

The people who work in local government are so committed I mean I work with the best people. They care deeply about the services that are provided. They work their tails off day in and day out, and nobody ever got rich in public service, right. I mean, these are highly educated folks who really could do different things with their lives, but they’re committed to the services we provide. And so I get real hot if I hear somebody you know sort of using an abjurt of like oh, government worker, no, those are public servants. They are doing the work of making sure your toilets are flushing, the sewers are running, that people are being enrolled in Medicaid, that your streets are being swept, bridges are being repaired, that there is appropriate accommodation at the jail, that all of these things that people I think sometimes take for granted or don’t understand or don’t even stop to think about how it happens.

Greta Johnson: 46:52

The people I work with are just phenomenal and deserve all of the respect and praise. I’m not here for this narrative that there’s so much fat that needs to be cut in government and that government workers are lazy. I’m not here for this narrative that there’s so much fat that needs to be cut in government and that government workers are lazy. I’m not here for that and I’ll fight you about that, for sure.

Todd Bertsch: 47:14

Okay, yeah, it’s funny and you’re right. We do take it for granted, but sure enough. When something breaks or something goes wrong, then you are like oh yeah, there’s a reason, and I think if we just had a little bit more gratitude, we’d talk a lot about that on the show.

Greta Johnson: 47:32

Nobody wants to talk about the HVAC system at the jail until it impacts someone in their family.

Todd Bertsch: 47:38

Right, exactly.

Greta Johnson: 47:39

Right.

Todd Bertsch: 47:41

If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?

Greta Johnson: 47:50

That resting is not quitting. You know we talked about like needing to like say no sometimes and, yeah, you know this like hard work and we’re of sort of that same era where you just got to grind right. There’s this sort of nobility and never taking vacation or coming to work sick and gutting it out, and I have paid the price of that. And I would go back and say to myself the only strength doesn’t have to come from suffering Like take a break, rest, recover, take care of your body, take care of your mental health, your physical health, instead of just going, going, going and never giving yourself a little bit of time to recover. I think that is one thing I wish I could go back and say I struggle with it now.

Todd Bertsch: 48:45

Yeah, that is one thing I wish I could go back and say I struggle with it.

Greta Johnson: 48:46

now, yeah, you know, I think there’s a certain. I am envious and proud of the 20-somethings who work for me because they prioritize it and they should. Burnout is real. Your physical health can never be, you know, overvalued. So I I’m trying to take a cue um from them and prioritizing health first and, um, making sure that I take a break when I need to. It’s hard and when you’re raising kids, you know. You know what do we do on the weekends? Well, I go to volleyball and lacrosse tournaments, you know that. But I’m lucky to have people who make it fun and my kids are great. But, um, yeah, resting isse tournaments, but I’m lucky to have people who make it fun and my kids are great but yeah resting is not quitting, and that’s something I’m still trying to work on.

Todd Bertsch: 49:32

Yeah, Amen sister.

Greta Johnson: 49:33

I hear you on that.

Todd Bertsch: 49:34

It’s good to see you cut from the same cloth, burning the candle on both ends, and I will tell you when you get into your 50s which I’m in you cannot do that any longer and you quickly realize that the work that you’re producing later in the day is not good quality work and it’s like, okay, should I continue working, just to check off a box and to feel good about myself.

Todd Bertsch: 50:01

Or should I limit the amount of time I spend, be more intentional and focus on the quality? So for me, it’s about working smarter not necessarily harder and not getting caught up in that blue collar grind that I was so proud of. You know like, and you’re right we’d wear that on our lapels, and it’s interesting to me that we have the younger generation that we’re taking nods from, and I think COVID brought a lot of this to light, absolutely so if there was anything positive that came out of that. That’s certainly one of it.

Greta Johnson: 50:33

For sure.

Todd Bertsch: 50:34

And mental health awareness. Well, this is a great segue. So what do you do? What does Greta do for self-care? What do you do to take care of yourself? What are some rituals or habits? Care what do you do to take care of yourself? What are some rituals or habits? Because you’re a busy woman. You’re a single mom raising two teenage girls and in a very high profile role. So how do you do all of that, but also take care of you?

Greta Johnson: 50:59

Again, lucky, lucky, lucky. My kids made friends early on in school with some great girls who have these wonderful families, and so I find that the way I, you know, like when am I exhaling? When I’m sitting with who are my dear friends? Now our kids are playing or goofing off together or playing sports together, or they’re in the pool together and we’re sitting and you know we’re talking about what it means when you’re a working parent and you’re trying to juggle five different things and you know just sort of that camaraderie that comes from a shared experience. So for me it comes from a shared experience. So for me, being able to decompress with other parents who are going through these crazy teenage times of managing emotions and schedules and academics I’m really lucky to have that. But I’m also really lucky to have just an incredible group of friends who check in on me and you know we can have breakfast or lunch or I again. Just having built a really good group of people around me has, I feel like, saved me every time.

Todd Bertsch: 52:18

Yeah, yeah, we need to get off our Island. We need to have the friend group or thinking group. It’s important you have the friend group or thinking group. Yes, it’s important who’s a leader that you admire. We’ll do some lightning round quick question.

Greta Johnson: 52:33

You know it’s funny. I was thinking about that. Gosh, I could give you 50 right now. Sure, yeah, but there is a woman. We don’t work directly together, but we’re in a lot of meetings together Christine Mayer who leads the GAR Foundation? I just admire her so much because I think we’re very different. I look at the way she quietly leads. She is very thoughtful. I’ve never seen her react to something where I tend to have to pull myself back from speaking too, quickly.

Greta Johnson: 53:09

So I’m trying to take some cues from her. During the pandemic the administrative judge at the time, judge Jones I saw her being very deliberative and thoughtful about it, and so those two women I feel like I’m looking at and I’ve been able to see what I’d like to be more of, which is a little bit less immediately react a little bit more. Let me sleep on this, and so I’ve really tried to work on that in the last few years. Where I might have immediately popped off Immediately, I’m trying to sleep on it and if I still feel like popping off the next day, it’s probably okay to pop off. More than half the time it’s not worth it.

Greta Johnson: 53:56

The other part is I’m, like you, finding that at the end of the day, if it’s making me really upset, am I tired, am I hungry? Am I overstimulated? What is this problem going to look like tomorrow and would I address it differently? You know personnel matters. I also feel very strongly that if you don’t look at everything like an emergency which I tend to do sometimes you just get a better result. Like nobody is elbow deep in anybody’s chest on the eighth floor of the Ohio building. There are very few things that are true emergencies.

Todd Bertsch: 54:37

Right right.

Greta Johnson: 54:38

So trying to like take a deep breath, because during the pandemic everything felt like an emergency and so I was trying to be really proactive and, like my form of leadership I think was good at the time, Somebody needed to say something.

Greta Johnson: 54:59

But now I’m trying to be a little bit more thoughtful and deliberative, and the executive is an excellent role model of that. She does not have knee jerk reactions, very thoughtful, let’s talk about it and then let’s talk about it again, and then we’ll talk about it again. So women like that. I feel I’m watching and seeing what I’d like to be more of.

Todd Bertsch: 55:24

Yeah, awesome Greta. How do you define success, like how, if somebody were to give your eulogy at the end of the road, what would you hope that they would say?

Greta Johnson: 55:37

Yeah, I mean, it’s hard not to get emotional, to think about my kids in that equation. To have healthy, happy children who grow into healthy, happy adults is really what I’m most concerned about right now, and you know they’re 13. So happy is fleeting.

Greta Johnson: 56:02

Professionally, I don’t know how I define success because, like I said, it’s always a five-minute plan. So at the end of every day I sort of you know, when I’m crawling into bed, do I feel like I did my best that day and do I feel good about the work that I did? You know I’ve waited tables. I’ve, you know, cleaned restaurants, I’ve had weird odd jobs, but I always felt successful air quotes at the end of the day because I felt like I was contributing to something. So I mean, I guess, as I’m talking about it, you know, do I feel like I contributed in a meaningful way that day? You know, I won a lot of criminal trials. I was successful in passing legislation at a time when Democrats were not so success. Yeah, but I felt like I contributed to the greater good in some way. So I guess that’s it at the end of each day.

Todd Bertsch: 57:00

Yeah, living a life of purpose and meaning.

Greta Johnson: 57:04

Yes, I like that, that sounds much more eloquent. Yeah, living a life of purpose and meaning. Yes, I like that, that sounds much more eloquent. Yeah, for sure.

Todd Bertsch: 57:09

But yeah, that’s the same for me. You know, it’s not money, toys, things, winning awards or all these accolades it’s more about. Am I just happy? Right? That’s my reflection point at the end of every day. Am I happy doing what I’m doing and am I making a change? Am I making a change? And that’s why I shifted to transition into this kind of new career of mine, you know, is to be a coach in the mental fitness space and to be a keynote speaker inspirational, motivational, and this show to inspire and motivate people to become their best selves. And that’s what I’m trying to do is just be 1% better every day and that feels good, right To be able to contribute in a small way, to have some legacy that at least I cared and I tried. Sure.

Todd Bertsch: 58:03

I think, you’re well on your way. Yeah, we’re all just trying to do a little bit of something.

Greta Johnson: 58:08

People are, generally speaking, everybody’s doing the best they can.

Todd Bertsch: 58:13

Yeah, I do believe that, and I believe there’s good in every person, and that’s I think. If you can lead with empathy and make that assumption that people are struggling to some degree, then you can start to kind of put yourself in their shoes, and if we do that, I think we’re a hell of a lot better off.

Greta Johnson: 58:32

Certainly.

Todd Bertsch: 58:34

Greta, this has been great. I love chatting with you. I’m so just proud and impressed of everything you’ve accomplished.

Greta Johnson: 58:42

Oh, thank you.

Todd Bertsch: 58:43

And I’m really excited just to see what you’re going to do next. So we’re very fortunate to have you here locally to be a part of our community. Thank you for that and fighting for us and our people in Summit County. If there was one thing that you could leave our listeners, our young leaders or our season leaders, what would that be?

Greta Johnson: 59:08

To the young ones trust your gut, always, always, always, always. Listen to that internal voice. It should be your guide. Let that be your lighthouse, always and for the established leaders, continue to collaborate. Do not go into a silo. When things are starting to feel a little more overwhelming and we’re all facing different headwinds than we have in the last several years, yeah, just continue to be the collaborative natured people that you are Awesome.

Todd Bertsch: 59:43

Yeah, thank you.