New UniverCity director to lead 'legacy work'

How do you manage life with a plate full of two dozen volunteer and civic commitments, spending time with family and two full-time jobs?

You better love what you do.

That's how Doug Johnson lives his life, and he plans to continue doing so in 2008.

With days packed with charity dance lessons, numerous community foundation meetings, holiday parties and tying up his position as vice president of First Western Trust Bank, it's a wonder how Johnson stays upbeat and full of energy.

But he's ready to take that exuberance and jump into his new post as director of UniverCity, a city project to develop and form a cohesive relationship between Colorado State University, Old Town and the Poudre River area.

"The opportunity to lead this is legacy work," he said Dec. 14, while sitting in his office at First Western Trust Bank, slowly packing as he prepares to switch jobs.

"(Community work) is a calling; (UniverCity) is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. This could be the model for towns across the United States."

The first job on his plate as UniverCity director is to keep the 150 volunteers engaged in the project and to strengthen the thread between UniverCity task groups and the community.

"Sometimes, someone's vision can be someone else's nightmare," he said, adamant that he will seek public comment on every aspect of UniverCity.

He also plans to engage the media, enhance the UniverCity Web site, possibly write a column on UniverCity updates and even reach out himself to interact with the community.

UniverCity can't flourish without great relationships, he said, so he wants to show the city and the region why UniverCity is important and how it could affect life throughout Northern Colorado.

"It's amazing what can be done with good relationships," he said. "(UniverCity) was such an amazing opportunity, unprecedented. I saw the potential for community building."

While heading up UniverCity will be his main work in 2008, the energized businessman gushes about the community involvement already on tap.

Johnson is featured as one of the local celebrities for Canyon Concert Ballet's fundraiser Dancing with the Stars and recently spent an afternoon learning disco dancing during his first lesson.

Education is a key value for Johnson, and following his "commitment to life-long learning," he will spend 2008 working to restructure the Poudre School District Foundation and looking for a new associate director for CSU's Alumni Association.

He's even dabbling in creating an angel investment network.

But perhaps one of the biggest tasks in 2008 is directly connected to UniverCity. Time is about to expire on the Downtown Development Authority, which is a key player in UniverCity.

"We cannot achieve our vision for UniverCity or downtown if it goes away," he said. "UniverCity is all encompassing. There are so many unknowns with this new position; it'll be hard to say (what's to come) in '08. But when you love it, it's easy."