Barry E. Johnson is president and chief executive officer of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, South Florida’s first and the longest sustaining business development organization and one of the largest chambers in the southeastern U.S. He directs a team of 25 Chamber professionals, supporting more than 400,000 employees of chamber member companies in South Florida.
Barry E. Johnson - President/CEO, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce
Barry joined the Greater Miami Chamber in 2004 following 25 years in corporate communications leadership at AT&T, wrapping up his career as vice president-corporate affairs for the company’s Florida operations. He directed corporate brand programs, guided public policy initiatives affecting local issues, state and federal legislation, served as corporate spokesman and orchestrated philanthropic investment of the AT&T Foundation.
His prior positions at AT&T included progressive management assignments across a wide range of corporate communications elements, including business advertising, relationship management, business representation, public relations, media relations, marketing communications, speech writing and constituency relations. Previous to joining AT&T, Barry anchored, reported and produced radio and television news for several ABC and Mutual Broadcasting affiliated stations.
He has been active in the south Florida community for over 25 years. In addition to serving as chairman of the Greater Miami Chamber during his AT&T career, he has been chairman of the Economic Development Council of South Miami-Dade County and co-chairman with the Mayor of Miami-Dade County of the first community’s long-term economic development plan, One Community, One Goal.
Currently, he is a member of the Orange Bowl Committee, the Board of Directors of the Beacon Council, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Economic Development Council of South Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami Mayor’s International Council and Past Chairman of the Miami-Dade Advisory Board of the Florida Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He is also an advisor to the School of Business at Miami-Dade College and a member of the Executive Committee of the South Florida Regional Business Alliance and the Advisory Board of the South Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
He has served on the Board of Directors of Take Stock In Children, SER Jobs for Progress, Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, the Homestead-Miami Speedway Society, National Federation for Advancement in Arts, Citizen’s Board of the University of Miami, Concert Association of Florida, Council of 100 of Florida International University, Florida International University Center for Leadership, Florida Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Miami-Dade County, Zoological Society of Florida, the American Red Cross of Greater Miami and the Keys and the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee. In addition, he is a lifetime member of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
A graduate of Missouri State University and former chapter president of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Barry is a five time AT&T PRO Award winner (Public Relations Excellence), recipient of the Americanism Award of the Anti-Defamation League and the Silver Beaver from the Boy Scouts of America. He was chosen as Up and Comer of the Year by Miami Magazine and Price Waterhouse Coopers and was among the 2010 inaugural class of Miami Shining Stars recipients by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Florida Chapter. In 2012, he recently received the Heart of Haiti Award from the Haitian Government and the Haitian Parliament. In 2013, Barry received the Outstanding Alumni Award by his alma mater, Missouri State University. And, he received the 2014 Royal Palm Award from the Miami Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. And in 2015 was honored by the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund in South Florida for his support of Hispanic Entrepreneurship.
Barry and his wife, Catherine, have two children.