Women's History Month: Kate Johnson's Rise Through the Sports World
3/30/2020 2:00:00 PM | Rowing, Features
By Chad Shepard
When she was an eighth-grader finishing middle school in Marin County, California, Kate Johnson received some unsettling news: her family was picking up and moving north, to Portland, Oregon. Johnson was a lifelong competitive swimmer and outdoors fanatic, and she loved her home in the Bay Area.
A few rainy days on a trip the family took to Oregon was enough to convince her she did not want to go north with her family -- at least, not right away. Johnson pitched her parents, Linda and Paul, on the idea that she would live with a nearby family in Marin County until she finished eighth grade, then rejoin them in Portland to begin high school in the fall of 1993.
"I wasn't ready to move to Portland," said Johnson. "I knew I needed to be outside in California doing outdoor sports, and my parents were incredibly supportive."
Kate with parents Paul and Linda in Vail, Colorado (Christmas 1983)Johnson's parents were receptive to her idea, so she returned to California buoyed by an expanded freedom. Throughout the next year, Johnson began developing the habits that have taken her down the self-driven path to accomplishment. It's a path that has taken her on a steady rise through the sports world, from the nation's top rowing recruit, to collegiate All-American at the University of Michigan, to Olympic medalist, to executive roles in the corporate world and a position leading a new unit at Google.
Years later, she is able to look back her eighth-grade decision and recognize that period as a formative time in her life.
"It was a lot of self-managing, and it was really my first opportunity to develop that skill set in myself," she said. "I just trusted my gut."
That early course of action began a pattern Johnson has followed throughout her career. Her habit of trusting herself has made her one of the sharpest executives in the sports partnerships and entertainment landscape. Before Johnson conquered the sports business world, she developed the skills she'd use to succeed while on the water with Michigan and Team USA.
Leaving Her Mark
Johnson says she knew she wanted to be an Olympian "within two weeks of trying the sport of rowing." She was a longtime swimmer burnt out on the pool, so her father, who rowed at Holy Cross, introduced her to his sport. Paul Johnson took his daughter to the Willamette River in Oregon, where a local coach worked her out. Almost immediately, Johnson was hooked. She copied down her Olympic dream in block letters in a journal as a sophomore in high school and shared it with no one.
Less than three years later, she arrived at Michigan as an established athlete with the U.S. Junior National Team, as well as the top recruit in the country. Johnson had become the foundational piece of an upstart program.
She did not shy away from lofty expectations. The Wolverines won the first Big Ten Conference title awarded in 2000 and repeated the following season. That 2001 season was Johnson's senior year, and her first varsity eight boat won a bronze medal at the NCAA Championships to help the team finish as the national runner-up.
Johnson earned the first of her three All-America honors in 1999.With three All-America honors (1999-2001) and two Big Ten Athlete of the Year awards (2000-01) in tow, Johnson graduated as the program's most decorated athlete, and she became one of its most accomplished alumnae when she earned a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games with the American eight.
Johnson first represented Team USA in international competition beginning at age 15, and she totaled nine appearances on the global stage. She also collected four gold medals at the World Championships and World Rowing Cup before earning her place on the 2004 Olympic squad.
Less than a decade after she wrote down her dream in her high school journal, Johnson and her teammates placed second in the Olympic final. It marked the USA's first medal in women's rowing in 20 years. Johnson and her teammates reset the standard for the American program -- and in the three Olympic games since, the U.S. has won gold three times.
U.S. Rowing is a powerhouse program now, but that was not the case in the early 2000s. The team's coach, Tom Terhaar, was a new coach at the Olympic level, and the Americans had little recent success on which to build momentum. What's more, Johnson had to overcome a rib fracture in the weeks before qualifying to earn her spot on the boat. Throughout the whole process, nothing was given.
Johnson helped to raise the bar at U-M, too. The Michigan program has had sustained success, and head coach Mark Rothstein is the primary driver of that prolonged achievement, but Rothstein also recognizes how valuable it was to have an athlete like Johnson in the fold early.
"Kate made a huge impact on our program when she came to campus in the fall of 1997," said Rothstein.
"She was a really talented rower, but her biggest effect came from her leadership," he said. "Kate made those around her better -- she had extremely high standards for herself and her teammates, and she helped to drive our team's success during her four years."
Johnson and her teammates' winning those 2000-01 titles set a standard quickly, and expectations remain high today. That early group laid the bedrock for the foundation of a new program, with Johnson at the forefront, but the best rower in Michigan history almost never was.
Johnson (back row, fourth from right) helped Michigan win the inaugural Big Ten rowing championship in 2000.
A Chance to Grow
Late in her high school recruiting cycle, Johnson and her family made an on-campus visit to Ann Arbor. By that time, she thought she was headed to Princeton. She even gave Princeton's coach an informal indication that she was coming in the fall.
Then, a trip to Michigan, and there it was again -- that gut feeling.
"The dynamic just felt right," said Johnson.
"The women, my teammates, felt right. I was looking for a school that would help give me the rigorous academic experience I wanted and the support as well. I knew that with Michigan's athletic department I'd never be left on my own to fend for myself. I knew I'd have a community around me to help me achieve my goals.
"And it's such a big decision to make at 18 years old. Sometimes, you can't articulate the 'why.'"
Johnson said she "benefited massively" from Title IX in that many of the nation's top public schools like Michigan, Cal Berkeley and Virginia added the sport of rowing as a direct result of the policy. That pattern opened many previously closed doors for academically ambitious female athletes across the country.
"There was a commitment from the university to building something special and that was the Michigan rowing program," said Johnson.
"I really believed this school was bought into rowing and that I was stepping into a committed community that was building something new."
Johnson related a quote from the Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone to sports: "If you have an athlete who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want an athlete who will come even if there is no road at all. It's harder to find those kinds of programs now."
In other words, if someone chooses to take the well-trodden path to success, they forego the growth they'd experience in discovering that path on their own. But no route -- well-trodden or undiscovered -- is clear and straight, and Johnson's has had her share of twists and turns.
Johnson always thought she'd row in as many Olympics as she could with U.S. Rowing, but she "figured out what the bottom of my tank was physically, emotionally and mentally" after competing in Athens, and she knew it was time for a career change.
Johnson (second from right) won an Olympic silver medal at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece.
Repotting Yourself
Johnson described the concept of "repotting" yourself -- like a plant in new soil -- when things in life or work get stale or constricting. A different setting can create room for growth, and different environments help us learn more about ourselves.
With Athens behind her, it was time for Johnson to find new soil. She landed a position with IMG consulting and launched herself into the world of sports partnerships.
"I threw myself into New York City and built a career from scratch, which was not easy," she said.
Johnson blossomed at IMG, and her work took her to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2012 Summer Games in London before she moved on to be senior director and head of Olympics at Visa and, later, global head of sponsorships.
More than a decade later, the reputation she built in the industry made her an appealing leadership candidate when Google decided to extend its arm into the sports entertainment space. When Google reached out to her, Johnson was under the impression she would be providing guidance for their anticipated move.
"I thought I would consult with them and help give them some pointers on organizational structure, but it turned into my first job interview," said Johnson. "From there, we wrote the job description together. I was excited at the opportunity to learn and grow again, and here we are."
Johnson with husband Jason Boynton and sons Alex (right) and Brennan
The move has ushered in an exciting new chapter for Johnson and her family -- husband Jason Boynton, 10-year-old stepson Alex, and two-year-old son Brennan. The family gets to remain in the Bay Area, where Johnson returned to live in 2013, and she is eager to be starting something new.
Johnson is still a builder at her core. If she cares about something, she gets involved at the ground level and does whatever she can to help architect its ascent. It's how she approached her commitment to Michigan, and it's how she views this new opportunity.
"I tied the decision to come to Google pretty closely with my decision to come to Michigan," she said. "It's that same risk-taking, build-something mentality."
Now as she embarks on this journey, she'll have the data and technology resources of a global giant at her back.
In a time when information rules all, companies that collect and distribute data like Google, Microsoft, Amazon and IBM have some of the biggest roles to play in sports. Google's reach is incomprehensibly vast -- at its 2017 developer conference, the company listed seven products with at least one billion users -- and that kind of reach is something Johnson feels can make Google a global mover in this field.
"Google is in everybody's lives," Johnson explained, "We want to organize the world's data and make it available to everyone. What does that mean for the sports consumer? How can we bring home the experience of fandom, bring more relatable data to the conversation, and make sure that the insights we develop make things more relatable?"
For Johnson, that process starts with the athletes themselves.
While at IMG and Visa, she developed close relationships with athletes representing the full spectrum of sport. It is no surprise that this relationship-building sector of business is an area in which many retired athletes find success. It can be a similarly competitive arena. Many of the same traits that help athletes reach the Olympic podium also help them ascend the corporate ladder.
Johnson helped athletes from across the globe connect with Visa and empowered them to maximize their brands, connecting with fans in more meaningful ways.
"The more relatable athletes can be, the better," said Johnson.
Johnson understands that the athlete-fan connection is very different now than it has been in the past. The presence of a mutual accountability that was not as clearly defined in the past has only furthered the importance of relationship-building.
It's all about empowerment -- and not just for athletes.
Leading the Way
While training for CRASH-B Sprints (the World Indoor Rowing Championships) at Michigan, former U-M rowing assistant Emily Ford gave Johnson a quote that stuck with her. It is credited to Charles Dickens and says: "The most important thing at any given moment is your willingness to sacrifice what you are for what you could become."
Kate Johnson has become many things.
She is an athlete, accomplished at the highest ranks. She is a board member, representative and ambassador, trusted with protecting international brands and interests. She is a proud wife to her husband and mother to her boys. She is an outdoorswoman, and if she ever had a day off (maybe in 2021), she said she'd get outside, maybe by skiing to some great pump-up music ("probably Lizzo").
Director of athletics Warde Manuel welcomed Johnson into the Michigan Hall of Honor in 2016, making her the first rower so recognized.
Johnson wears many hats but also bears another responsibility by default as a female executive in sports. She recognizes her role in forming an industry that is more supportive of equal-opportunity advancement. It's something she believes in and something she's been talking about for years.
That's why she contributes her time and talents to organizations like Right to Play, where she has been a Global Ambassador since she got off the water. Or the Michigan Sports Business Conference (MSBC), where she has been a featured speaker and moderated panels.
Johnson remembers the coach who trained her on the Willamette River, Nick Haley. He's still coaching in Portland. She remembers what his small dose of encouragement did for her at the time, and she wants to encourage those in positions of influence to enable women to take similar steps in their careers.
There is so much work to be done in this area, and the challenge must be sought out. It takes an ambitious person to not just encounter adversity but to look for it and to grow from opportunity as opposed to being overwhelmed by it.
"Mentorship is great," said Johnson, "but sponsorship is 10 times more important -- someone who will throw their name on a recommendation for you, put their name on the line for you, or literally go to the mat on your behalf. Women need more of that in sports."
In her own career, Johnson sees improvement in the landscape.
"The room at the table for women was so small for so long that there was a 'defend-my-turf' mentality in some ways," she said. "Now I see my contemporaries lock arms together and work together to get to the top, especially younger talent."
As room at the table grows and the conversation evolves, new challenges emerge. Johnson stands ready to meet them the same way she has met all others in her life: head-on, without fear.
After all, a challenge is just a chance to grow.
Women's History Month content from earlier this month on MGoBlue.com included a Q&A with softball All-American Jenny Allard (March 10) and a Q&A with women's tennis national champion Brienne Minor (March 24). For more information on Women's History Month, visit womenshistorymonth.gov.
