This interview is the third in a series of five introducing new members of the senior administration of Charlotte Latin School.

Before arriving this summer as the new Director of Advancement at Charlotte Latin School, Kerry Johnston was the Chief Philanthropy Officer at McDonogh School in Owings Mills, MD. She has presented at national advancement conferences and served on the CASE Independent School Leadership Group Planning Committee; she arrives at Charlotte Latin with over two decades of experience in independent school philanthropy.

What’s surprised you since you came to Charlotte Latin?

I don’t know that I’ve been surprised by anything, but I’ve been pleased. The people have been very warm and welcoming. And the numbers with philanthropy here are incredibly strong — many schools don’t have 76% parent participation or 98% faculty and staff participation. Being handed a strong program like that is a gift.

When you were growing up, did you think you would end up working at a school?

My mom was an elementary school teacher, so education was always present in our lives. I knew there were people who worked around teachers who helped them be successful and I thought I would be good at that. I was always active in student leadership: I remember campaigning for student body president in middle school, making buttons with my friends. I was the class president all through high school, and the student government president when I attended the University of Maryland. That was how I advocated for myself — and for my colleagues and classmates. I knew my professional path would be in that lane, but I didn’t know exactly how.

What were you proudest of about your work at McDonogh?

I led my second large capital campaign from beginning to end, crystallizing the school’s priorities with stakeholders and the board and completing a $100 million project. We knew we were going to have a fundraising project for our middle school building, but a year before we were planning to take that on, the administration decided it was no longer safe to have kids in that building. That moved our timeline up an entire year, giving a sense of urgency to both us and our community. We met that challenge, which was exciting and demanding. 

The other thing I was especially proud of was that the school turned 150 while I was there; I was asked to lead the effort to celebrate the anniversary. The school’s namesake, John McDonogh, had a complicated legacy: he was a slave owner in Louisiana in the early 1800s, who in his will, left his fortune to found our school. As part of our anniversary, it was important to recognize the school’s history, so we could fully celebrate McDonogh’s evolution into the school of innovation and excellence it is today. In order to do that, we approached the anniversary from three angles: history and storytelling; our Legacy Campaign; and the celebration. By doing that, we were able to include everyone in the anniversary, making sure that our celebratory year was truly inclusive.

What aspects of the Portrait of the Latin Leader resonate with you?

Conscientious Thinker and Dynamic Communicator. With philanthropy, and with marketing and communications, it’s important to be strong communicators, which means listening, understanding, having empathy, and paying attention to the needs of others — whether that’s a donor or a reader. That’s how you build a bond with the school that makes a gift or a connection possible. One of the things I’m doing this year is paying very close attention to the work everyone else here is doing, so I can become fluent in the culture of Latin.

What might surprise people about you?

I love NASCAR. My son is into racing and for the past five years, has been watching it all weekend, every weekend: NASCAR, F1, Xfinity Series. He’s a sophomore in college, but if he can work in any of the racing industries, he will. Last year, he had a summer job with the RCR Racing team. I know I don’t appear to be the average NASCAR fan, but I’ve gone down the rabbit hole with him. 

Tell us about an adventure you’ve had.

I recently traveled to Arizona: I had never been to the Southwest, but I thought the terrain was so beautiful and different. My mother, who is 82, is currently visiting lots of the national parks with a bunch of girlfriends. She’s been sending me spectacular pictures of Jackson Hole, and then she’s hitting Yellowstone and going to Canada for Banff. That’s whetting my appetite, so that’s what I want for my next adventure.

How would you describe your approach to being Director of Advancement?

Managing growth — and having fun. This school is really good and this team is really good, so we’re going to be successful.