Getting to know: Doug Johnson, Executive Director of Cal-IPC
Updated: Feb 22, 2022
Our "Getting to Know the Board Interview Series" aims to encapsulate the Cal-IPC community that exists at our annual symposium. During these interviews, the board members offer sage advice for students and early career professionals interested in invasive plant research and management, but also share some fun facts about themselves that we can all relate to.
Author: Clarissa Rodriguez, chair of the student section
Doug Johnson is the Executive Director of the California Invasive Plant Council (hereafter, Cal-IPC), and has been a staff member at the organization since 2002. Doug holds an M.A. in Geography from San Francisco State University, with an emphasis on conservation biology. As if that wasn't impressive enough, he also holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. As Executive Director of a non-profit organization focused on invasive plant management, Doug is involved with political, financial, and management decisions. I had the privilege of interviewing Doug Johnson to get to know him in a less formal environment, where he answered questions from professional development to fun topics!
Doug Johnson and his family.
Let's get to know Doug!
Doug was first intrigued by invasive species when he saw someone actively pulling weeds on Tank Hill in San Fransisco- and asked them why they were doing that.
This single moment of talking to a weed warrior really got Doug interested in learning more about the impacts of invasive species and the importance of invasive plant management. How cool is that? Really shows the power that we all have to spread the word about invasive plant management. Don't be afraid to get on your soap box and talk to strangers about invasive species, you might inspire another Doug Johnson!
What is Doug's favorite invasive species & why?
Doug's favorite invasive plant is gorse (Ulex europaea) because it reminds him of his time spent on the Mendocino coast, living and working at an educational farm. Part of his duty was to pull gorse and broom, but the main invader was gorse. For Doug, it was a fascinating introduction into working with invasive species, and he really enjoyed seeing how the local community was involved in managing this plant.
What does Doug do when he isn’t combating invasive species?
When Doug isn't working on invasive species-related projects, you can find him volunteering at his sons' sporting events, growing vegetables in his garden, and tending to his native plants at home. But, like many of us- the pandemic has really let us embrace our home-bodiness. Doug has been enjoying that too lately!
Here is a fact that Doug thinks everyone should know:
"Plants are beautiful and amazing. But-we’ve lost a lot of our contact with the environment. Where our food, clothes and everything comes from- plants. Yes they (plants) are good, but there are also plants that can have negative impacts. "-Doug
Ecological complexity is something Doug thinks more people should know about. Yes, plants are beautiful, but looks can be deceiving. A really beautiful plant can be an invasive weed impacting native communities. The fact that there are plants that evolved here (in California), and there are also plants that evolved in other geographic locations but grow and spread throughout California, sometimes causing serious negative impacts should be common knowledge. However- we tend to get caught up in the aesthetics and tend to forget about the ecological complexity that goes on.
It is also important to establish that invasive plants moving around the globe is NOT ANALOGOUS to the migration of people into new geographic areas.
What has been Doug's favorite job throughout his career and why?
"Right here, Cal-IPC!" - a very enthusiastic Doug
Doug did not hesitate to answer this question, as he instantly named his current job working at Cal-IPC. Doug enjoys being able to wear many hats as the Executive Director, and working with a community of people who are all focused on stewardship.
Pst... did you know that his first job ever was as a paperboy?
What has been Doug's least favorite job?
Doug's least favorite job was one of the first jobs he had as a teenager, working at a company that made plastic products. Why this specific job might you ask? Imagine being a teenager, working on a factory floor running large machinery, getting paid minimum wage to inhale toxic fumes, and listening to music that you aren't a huge fan of-yeah... we totally understand you, Doug. Although he identifies this as his least favorite job, he also acknowledges that it was a good experience. This job helped him realize that he wanted to be intellectually challenged.
For many of us students and early career professionals, navigating a career path can be challenging-with feelings of uncertainty emerging about the career we chose. Guess what? It's never too late to switch- Doug shared his experience and wisdom with us about his career switch.
Doug was initially interested in the field of alternative energy and earned a B.S. and M.S. in engineering. He worked a job in energy conservation for close to a decade in San Francisco, CA-but- he felt like the work he was doing was focusing more on human infrastructure rather than the natural world itself. To expand his breadth of skills, he went back to school to earn a second master's, but this time in Geography where he was able to learn more about physical and cultural geography. Using his new skills, Doug started working with state parks on weed mapping for management purposes and attending weed management meetings where he eventually was introduced to the Cal-IPC org!
"Some people go straight, and some people meander. Meandering has given me a breadth of experience." - Doug
Although Doug currently works for a non-profit, his previous experience with government and private sectors has been handy to his role as Executive Director where he has a leadership position and regularly interacts with local and state agencies.
Doug mentioned that building a network of support, and having organizations invest in his personal growth (Doug was awarded the prestigious Switzer Fellowship) gave him a huge opportunity to succeed.
Investing in people and their personal growth is definitely important! More organizations nowadays are working towards Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) goals that create inclusive opportunities for people to succeed. One of the things that come to mind is the push for organizations to offer PAID internships (rather than free labor) to make opportunities more accessible. If you have a suggestion for a JEDI-oriented goal or idea- email the student section. We'd love to hear about it!
What would Doug play if we handed him the aux?
Led Zeppelin or The Black Keys. (Yeah, Cal-IPC's Executive Director is pretty cool.)
He is also into folk music. Before the pandemic, Doug and his family liked to go to the Strawberry Music Festival in Yosemite, CA when they could.
Doug is a big fan of music festivals in general. In fact, his retirement plan might be to cruise around by bike and go to music festivals. He really enjoys exploring different places and embracing their character along with the people there.
What song makes you think about invasive species? For Doug, it is The Return of the Giant Hogweed by Genesis.
The entire song is about the invasive Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), great lyrics. The sap of this plant is known to cause severe burns on the skin or even blindness.
Check out the song here:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1oWh9ZsPP0pWaw7T5yAwgf?si=600e8b433ffd4da7
If Doug could have coffee with any historical figure, he would choose, Alfred Russel Wallace.
In case you're wondering "who is Alfred Russel Wallace?", Alfred was a British explorer, and naturalist who independently developed the theory of evolution (Darwin wasn't the only one who was thinking about natural selection!). Alfred spent much of his life exploring the world, at a time when people had limited contact across cultures. Although this period of exploration is often romanticized, Doug recognizes that expeditions had a problematic history of violence and colonialism as well. That being said-- the thought of sitting down at a coffee shop and having a latte with Alfred Russel Wallace while discussing the places he visited, the wildlife he saw, and the cultures he encountered is very appealing to Doug.
Doug has had a successful career, here are some important lessons he has learned:
"1. Staying with something over time is really valuable even though sometimes it feels stalled, you then get an opportunity that gets things moving again. Things can be frustrating, just keep looking for windows of opportunity and then at some point -windows will open."
2. Relationship building. I'm more of an introvert, but I like connecting with people one on one. Having integrity is really important for the long run. Building relationships with people in whatever way feels natural is important- people working together."
What job would Doug choose if he wasn't the Executive Director of Cal-IPC?
1. Land Manager
2. Farmer or Rancher
3. Working on solar energy
4. Teacher - he enjoys coaching his sons' sports teams
Do you enjoy reading sci-fi? If so, Doug recommends "The Ministry for the Future" by Kim Stanley Robinson- here's why:
"We are sucked up in the present, so let's step back and think about the reality of our future."-Doug
Kim Stanley Robinson is a science-fiction writer from Davis, CA. In this book (released 2020), he writes about the impacts of climate change and what the world does to address these
changes through the organization established in 2025 (very near future!) called "The Ministry For The Future". According to Doug, this book is compelling, and makes you think about how disconnected we are to the reality of what our future is going to look like, and the role of helping civilization figure out these very real threats.
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