EDUCATION Benjamin Bosse High School; bachelor’s degree in individualized studies, University of Southern Indiana (2015)
HOMETOWN Evansville
RESUME Founder and executive director, Young & Established, Inc. (2013-present); owner, Established Marketing (2015-present); cofounder, Two 24 Events (2023-present); director of youth and community resources, Evansville Housing Authority (2023-present); at-large member, Evansville City Council (2024-present)
FAMILY Wife Annica; daughter Soul, 4; son Mars, 2
For Courtney Johnson, every day is purpose-filled and busy. He takes his children to school, mentors youth and drives them home, then makes it to evening city council meetings. In between, he may be planning public ticketed events like parties and comedy jams or sitting in a professional basketball All-Star Host Committee meeting in Indianapolis. “Sometimes, it’s a little bit of a rush, but I’ve never been late. I always make it on time,” Johnson says.
Although his list of responsibilities has grown since founding Young & Established, Inc., everything Johnson does is an extension of his passion: serving his community. “It’s not jobs to me. This is my life and the people I get to work with,” he says. “I have a heart to serve.”
WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE SINCE OPENING Y&E?
Wanting to help everybody. The reality is that you can’t, but if I’m helping individuals and that inspires you to want to give and help, and then you inspire others who want to give and help, what could that do for our community?
WHO INSPIRED YOU TO WORK WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY?
[Executive Director] Rick Moore and his amazing wife had a lot to do with that. I had a sitdown with Rick on what all the Evansville Housing Authority does, the potential of what I could bring to their organization, and how many people that we could serve together. Having that talk opened my eyes to how many people we could serve together. There’s a lot of need in our community … and that’s the reason why I took that position.
WITH SEVERAL JOBS AND COMMUNITY POSITIONS, HOW DO YOU BALANCE WORK AND FAMILY?
My wife is a stay-at-home mom, but she is very supportive and doesn’t knock me for wanting to do all of these things. Being a father is the best out of everything that I get to do every day. Growing up, I had parents who were very involved, and I wanted to be that parent. You make time for it because that is what’s first … being present and involved.
DESCRIBE THE BIGGEST OBSTACLES YOU SEE FACING EVANSVILLE’S YOUTH.
One day, one of my students told me he was being bullied, and the things that were being said … nobody should be saying those kinds of things. The bullying, suicide, all of that is at an all-time high, I think, right now. A lot of kids are not reading at a grade level. Of course, food insecurity, kids not having food. I can go on and on and on.
YOUR 2019 BOOK, “NOTE TO SELF,” IS FILLED WITH POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS. TELL US ABOUT THE BOOKS THAT HAVE MOTIVATED YOU.
It’s cool to still, after this period of time, receive messages and Facebook tags and things like that from people who are still currently reading “Note to Self.” The more I do and the more involved I am, people are starting to pick up that I wrote a book. … Any book from John C. Maxwell is a good book. The first I read was “How Successful People Grow.” After that, I read “Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn.” The next one was “Jumpstart Your Growth,” and then “Today Matters.” I also would add his book “101 Mentoring,” as well as “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS?
I just want to continue to serve and be a blessing to this community.
