Elizabeth Johnston was born in Starkville, Mississippi, where her father taught high school science and her mother was a lab assistant at Mississippi State University. Growing up, she also lived in Alabama and California. She received a bachelor’s degree from Centenary College of Louisiana where she met her husband, Dr. Joseph Johnston. They attended graduate school at Louisiana State University.
In 2010, the Johnstons moved to Hong Kong, where Dr. Johnston was an accounting professor at City University of Hong Kong. They returned to the U.S. when Dr. Johnston joined the Accounting Department at Illinois State University as an Assistant Professor. They have two school-age children.
“Living in Hong Kong gave us a greater perspective of what it means to live in a free democracy and the quality of life we wanted in a community for our family,” Johnston said. “We are fortunate to live in McLean County with its good jobs, high quality schools, clean air, and open spaces. On the county board, I want to work toward making this a great county for everyone who lives here.”
Since moving to Normal in July of 2016, Elizabeth became involved in local political issues.
“I believe our community deserves leaders who can recognize the values of others, regardless of differing opinions. The United States was founded on, and has survived through, collaboration and compromise. It is our challenge to find a way to utilize the strengths of our diversity,” she said.
Elizabeth volunteers with the PTO at Grove Elementary, and on the Promise Council at Normal Community High School. She is a member of the League of Women Voters, Bloomington Normal Jaycees, and the ACLU. She worked on passing the Equal Rights Amendment in Illinois and is involved with Voices of Reason, and Indivisible McLean County. Elizabeth is passionate about her commitment to making the county a safer and more prosperous community, and has worked on multiple projects for the McLean County Democrats.
Elizabeth holds an LCSW license in both Illinois and Louisiana. In Louisiana, Johnston worked in a community mental health center focusing on adult outpatient treatment for mental illness. She brings her experience of careful planning, incorporation of community needs, efficient utilization of resources, and following through on complex projects to the county board.
You can find Elizabeth’s Campaign on Facebook for regular updates here or can sign up to receive email updates by contacting her directly: elizabeth@voteelizabethjohnston.com
Please see links below for Elizabeth’s positions on Economic Development and support for our Local labor and economy.
Submitted 5/29/18 Chamber of Commerce Questionnaire
Submitted 7/9/18 Union Labor Candidate Survey
