After years of campus growth, Mitchell Johnson retires from GTCC

“We are here to help people and being a part of that is a really cool way to spend your time," said Johnson.

Mitchell Johnson is a public servant at heart. Fortunately for GTCC, he also has a passion for maintenance and operations.

Johnson, vice president of operations and facilities at GTCC, has led the college through some of the most ambitious physical growth in its history over the past 15 years.

From the construction of the Cameron Campus and the Center for Advanced Manufacturing to the renovation of Medlin Campus Center and the construction of the new aviation campus, Johnson has played a role in every major construction project at GTCC since 2011.

“I know it’s corny, but I’m going to miss the people I work with,” said Johnson. “I’ve been working with maintenance people my whole life and I just love them. I love how they approach life and the pride they have in what they do. They are the quiet behind the scenes folks that just make things happen and without them, we’d be in trouble.”

Johnson has worked under three GTCC presidents. Current President, Anthony Clarke, Ph.D., understands the value of Johnson’s long tenure.

“As he (Johnson) likes to say, his work is in the background. He leads groups that work to ensure the faculty and staff can serve students as effectively as possible,” said Clarke. “Although he works in the background, his leadership makes our facilities the envy of other community colleges and defines how our community sees GTCC.

“We have been extremely lucky and blessed to have him here at Guilford Technical Community College.”

Johnson’s path to GTCC included several potential career directions.

He was a musician in high school, playing bass guitar. “That’s what I thought I was going to do.” He soon realized, though, there was what he calls “a gulf in skill and talent” with the folks he was playing with and “it probably didn’t make sense to become a professional musician.”

Johnson enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and set music aside for a time. He returned to performing briefly after his sophomore year but soon discovered what he called “the first love of my life—science.”

“For two years all I did was physics and high-level math,” said Johnson, who earned a physics degree from UNCG. “By the time I was finished I was completely fried and needed a break from physics.”

Those physics courses, however, led him—somewhat unexpectedly—into public service and eventually to GTCC.

In the early 1980s, the UNCG physics department built a computer, at a time when they were uncommon. During a public science day at UNCG, Johnson learned the city of Greensboro was seeking someone with basic computer knowledge.

Thus began a long stint with the city of Greensboro that saw him climb the ladder from assistant to the director of general services, to manager of general services and eventually wind up as the Greensboro city manager from 2005 through 2009.

After two years in the private sector as a consultant, Johnson returned to public service in 2011 when he accepted a position as associate vice president for administrative services at GTCC. In 2020, he was promoted to vice president of operations and facilities.

“I was really grateful for the career I had at the city. I had a great crew and really enjoyed working with them and was grateful to find a very similar culture here at GTCC,” said Johnson. “We are here to help people and being a part of that is a really cool way to spend your time.”

Johnson and his wife, also a scientist who plans to retire soon, intend to travel and spend time with their three children in retirement. He also hopes to revisit some long-lost interests.

“I hope to dabble in some music again as well,” he said.