Born in Chicago , Johnson's family moved in 1981 to Texas , where they settled in the town of Katy , just due west of Houston . Upon graduation from high school in 1992, he earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Texas A&M University in College Station . First working as a mayoral liaison in Houston municipal government, then in the non-profit sector in Hartford (CT), Johnson was selected as staff to the newly re-established Houston satellite post of Dallas ' Canadian Consulate General in November 2004. Johnson's appointment as Academic and Cultural Affairs Officer came through the Canadian government's Enhanced Representation Initiative, a strategy devised under former Prime Minister Paul Martin, in an effort to strengthen Canada 's presence in the United States and promote Canadian culture and encourage discussion of Canadian issues. Naturally, his duties give particular attention to the education community, as well as to the areas of music, film, literature, and performing/visual arts. Though Johnson's previous travel had never taken him to Canada , he gladly welcomes this new opportunity. "To date, I've thoroughly enjoyed visiting the different regions of Canada ," he stated. "I feel that I have developed a more open perspective on the relations between Canada and the United States , and I tend to think more globally as a result. Americans have a tendency to think 'inside their borders' at times - perhaps a by-product of limited life experiences in other parts of the world, and the same goes for Canadians. Nevertheless, we're very close neighbors, eh?" Johnson attended his first ACSUS meeting in St. Louis last November and is looking forward to his first SACS meeting, this fall in Atlanta . Under the leadership of Consul-General Jean-Michel Roy and Director of Public Affairs David Marshall, Johnson has traveled extensively to meet Canadian Studies faculty and administrators throughout the five-state territory, which includes Arkansas , Kansas, Louisiana , Oklahoma and Texas. Johnson also values the professional camaraderie that he has developed with his fellow academic relations officers stationed in the other parts of the U.S. , such as Judith Costello in the Atlanta Consulate General's office whom he interacts with periodically. Near the end of April 2006, Johnson will travel with the Consul-General to Lafayette, LA to meet with a Canadian trade delegation at the Acadian International Exposition, in conjunction with the Festival International de Louisiane, a free five-day, global music festival that annually brings musicians and singers from all over the Francophone world together with Cajun and Creole artists from South Louisiana. In his time away from work, Johnson is an avid watcher of world affairs, and more so, sports. "Some would say it's a bit odd, but I have to admit...if it's not on CNN, or talk radio, I probably didn't hear about it. I guess I prefer the 'non-fiction' world around us to the 'fantasy' of what many others seem to like. Don't get me wrong, I socialize, read, etc. - between work and the duties of adulthood, I just haven't found time to get hooked on a good T.V. series. Any suggestions?" Johnson welcomes contacts with all academics in the Canadian Studies community. He can be reached at (713) 821-1443, or via email at ashley.johnson@international.gc.ca . The web site for the Houston consulate is located at: http://www.houston.gc.ca . |
