Tri-C Famous: Kim Johnson

#TriCFamous is a bimonthly feature that introduces readers to the people who make the College work while providing a sneak peek into their lives off campus.

Kim Johnson started her first part-time job at Tri-C in 1998. Since then, she’s worked at three of College’s four campuses in roles ranging from assessment technician to student success specialist. These days, she supports faculty and instructional designers as assistant dean of Learning and Engagement at the Eastern Campus. Learn more about Kim ─ including how she managed to visit Japan and Sweden during a pandemic ─ in this week’s Tri-C Famous.

1. What’s something most people don’t know about you?
My dad taught me to read when I was 4 using an original 1940s-era Dick and Jane I read the last chapter on my own, and I remember feeling like a whole new world had opened up to me. I skipped over picture books and started reading novels. My favorite was Anne of Green Gables. By 12, I’d read all sorts of age-inappropriate novels like Wuthering Heights, Roots and Candide. When I bought my home, I had it painted the same color as Green Gables to honor my love of reading. 

2. Tell us about one of your hobbies.
I’m a fiber enthusiast — another way of saying that I’m an avid knitter and crocheter. Contemporary knitters and crocheters are concerned with preserving knitting cultures and techniques; sustainability and environmentalism; the role of fiber arts in supporting mental health; and diversity, equity and inclusion within the community. I traveled to in-person events before the pandemic, but this past year I’ve attended online knitting conferences and virtual retreats to Japan and Sweden. I’ll be “visiting” New Zealand in December!

3. Tell us about your pet.
My dog, Louie, is a Boston Terrier who can be incredibly hyper. He was about five months old when we went remote in March 2020, and he proved to be a terrible co-worker. I’ve suffered through a lot of Webexes where he attempted to gnaw on me, eat chunks of wood off the leg of my desk, or was just being a general nuisance. He’s nearly 2 now, and he’s calmed down a lot. But he still hasn’t compensated me for the damage to my desk (or paid the back rent he owes me).

Want to be Tri-C Famous? Email beth.cieslik@tri-c.edu for a chance to be featured (or to nominate someone else!)

September 28, 2021

Beth Cieslik, 216-987-4538 or beth.cieslik@tri-c.edu