Colleen Johnson of Columbia City recently took office as District 2 education and outreach coordinator.
In her new role, Johnson represents members in Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben and Whitley counties on the Indiana Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee, which oversees the organization’s education and women’s programs.
She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting but has been self-employed as a massage therapist for 25 years.
“This gives me a pretty flexible schedule,” she said, adding that she hopes this flexibility will be useful in her role as district education and outreach coordinator.
Johnson and her husband, Brian, have been married for 22 years and have a son who is a sophomore at Purdue University. They no longer farm but both grew up on farms – and in families that were involved with Farm Bureau. In fact, Johnson’s parents, Bob and Annette Lund, were named to the first Indiana Young Farmer Committee in 1969, and her grandfather, Don Lund, served as president of Huntington County Farm Bureau. Colleen and Brian have served on the Whitley County Farm Bureau board for several years, and Brian is currently Whitley County vice president.
“We are still involved in the ag community even though we don’t farm,” she explained.
When asked why she was interested in becoming the education and outreach coordinator for her district, Johnson was matter-of-fact.
“I just thought it would be interesting,” she said.