Norman Johnson

Born and raised in Lake Mills, Iowa, Norman Johnson built a distinguished career in corporate leadership after earning his BBA from the University of Iowa, an MBA from Drake University, and completing the Executive Marketing Program at Stanford University. He served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Clarcor, a NYSE-listed global supplier of filtration systems with manufacturing operations on nearly every continent. 

Under his leadership as CEO, Clarcor achieved 15% annual growth in earnings per share for 15 consecutive years before being successfully acquired following his retirement. He later transitioned into extensive corporate governance roles, serving on the Boards of Directors—and frequently chairing compensation, governance, and audit committees—for publicly traded companies including Schneider, Cracker Barrel, Amcore, and Circor. He also served as a Trustee of the Manufacturers Alliance and chaired the governance committee for the Vanderbilt University business school's Board of Visitors.

A dedicated philanthropist, Norman maintains a strong commitment to higher education and his alma mater. He has fully funded two professorships at the University of Iowa, with a commitment to fund a third, and actively serves on the University's Neuroscience Advisory Board and the Tippie College of Business's Tippie Society. He currently splits his time between residences in Naples, Florida, and Boulder, Colorado, with his wife, Barbara Bartlett Johnson. Together, they have two children and five grandchildren.