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Will Johnson (executive)

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Will Johnson
Portrait of Will Johnson taken in 2024.
Born1979 (age 44–45)[1]
Alma materNorthwestern University, Lafayette College
OccupationChief executive officer
EmployerThe Harris Poll

Will Johnson is an American business executive who serves as chief executive officer of The Harris Poll.

Early life and education

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Johnson was born in Winnetka, Illinois.[2] He attended Crow Island School, where his first grade teacher noticed his reading and speaking abilities did not match, leading to him being diagnosed with dyslexia.[3] He majored in government and law, graduating magna cum laude from Lafayette College in 2002. His honors thesis was about the political impact of Millennials.[4][5] Johnson also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University in 2008.[1][4]

Career and board service

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Johnson worked for Young & Rubicam Group after earning his undergraduate degree. Following graduate school, he returned to the company as chief strategist for BrandAsset Valuator, a database of brand and consumer behavior. In 2015, he was promoted to president of BAV Consulting.[1][4]

Johnson assumed the role of co-chief executive officer of The Harris Poll,[6] alongside John Gerzema in 2017; Johnson oversees the human resources and business units, including a team of 200 pollsters.[3][7] Johnson and Gerzema were recruited by The Harris Poll's parent company, Stagwell Group. Johnson worked to migrate clients from one-time research to ongoing consulting contracts, and reworked the company's surveys to focus on smartphone users.[4] Johnson has been described as an optimist about the polling industry, noting that he believes pollsters need to improve their methodology and rebuild public trust.[8][9]

Johnson has written for various publications including The Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Post,[10] and has served on the board of directors for Tutoring Chicago.[11]

Personal life

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As of 2024, Johnson lived in Chicago with his wife and two children.[1] He is a member of the Young Presidents' Organization and the Economic Club of Chicago.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Shelton, LeeAnn (April 3, 2024). "Transforming legendary public opinion firm Harris Poll". Kellogg School of Management. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  2. ^ Rosa Royle, Oriana (February 4, 2024). "2 generations, 1 corner office: 20 years separate the Harris Poll's co-CEOS, but millennial boss Will Johnson says there's more common ground with boomers than you'd expect". Fortune. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Hulvalchick, Alex (March 19, 2024). "Evanston pollster encourages people to think beyond the data". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Smith, Scott S. (November 16, 2023). "How JFK's Pollster Turned Into An Advisor To Top CEOs". Investor's Business Daily. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  5. ^ "William Johnson '02 Gauges Political Significance of "Millennial Generation"". Lafayette News. Lafayette College. 15 January 2002. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  6. ^ "The surprising compatibility of co-CEOs from different generations". Optimist Daily. March 11, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  7. ^ "Is It Time to Consider Co-CEOs?". Harvard Business Review. 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  8. ^ Luscombe, Belinda (October 23, 2022). "America Is Less Divided Than We Think, Says Harris Poll CEO". Time. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  9. ^ "Optimist Pollster Finds Americans Are Far More Alike Than Different, With Shared Values Bridging Political Divides". Good News Network. March 24, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  10. ^ Prince, Erich J. (May 3, 2022). "Harris Poll's Will Johnson: Why Polling Still Matters". Merion West. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Carlozzo, Lou (June 29, 2023). "Straight talk on the polling profession with The Harris Poll CEO Will Johnson". Talking Biz News. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
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