Carrie Johnson

Carrie Johnson is a communication strategist with nearly two decades of experience working with nonprofits. At The Hatcher Group, Carrie supports the firm’s education portfolio.  

Prior to joining The Hatcher Group, Carrie was the senior manager of communications and editor in chief at the Hearing Loss Association of America where she directed marketing and media campaigns and edited a 44-page quarterly magazine. She brought in a record-breaking 58 partners to the HLAA Externally-Led Patient-Focused Drug Development Meeting on Sensorineural Hearing Loss. HLAA received permission to hold this meeting from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. While at HLAA, she managed social media campaigns, marketing email blasts, blog posts and press campaigns on World Hearing Day and over-the-counter hearing aids. She also managed digital and communications benefits for HLAA’s 21 Hear for Life Corporate Partners. 

Carrie was also an associate director of marketing and media relations for the Association of American Colleges and Universities for 10 years. While there, Carrie worked with reporters from national and trade media outlets to promote research about what hiring managers are looking for—beyond a student’s major—when hiring college graduates. She also managed marketing email blasts, annual meeting and membership marketing, and business/trade partnerships with Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Previously, she was director of communications for the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, where she managed mobile apps for two meetings, an annual report, and AHRI Update, the member e-newsletter. Carrie also worked at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and interned for the Ohio Department of Education. She served as the Washington Women in Public Relations group’s Pro Bono Co-Chair from 2018-2020, co-leading 20 volunteers on communications activities on behalf of WWPR’s pro bono client, Sitar Arts Center in Washington, D.C. Carrie continues to volunteer on WWPR’s Pro Bono Committee.

Carrie earned her master’s degree in public communication from American University and her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Otterbein University.  She lives in Rockville, Md., with her twin sister, Beth.

PASSIONS THAT BENEFIT MY CLIENTS 

• Learning and Listening 
• Positivity Please: Kindness and optimism can make anyone’s day brighter.  
• Storytelling: Every person has a valuable story to share.  
• Meditation: Inhale Courage. Exhale Fear. (I saw this on a bumper sticker).  
• Writing: “Use fewer words” is my mantra.