PUBLIC SERVICE
DALLAS | Eric L. Johnson With resilience, and vision, Dallas's Mayor was elected with an overwhelming mandate.
E ric L. Johnson (Theta Iota 1996) is the 60th Mayor of Dallas, Texas. First elected in June 2019, he was re-elected in May 2023 with 98.7% of the vote, breaking a 114- year old record for the highest vote percentage garnered by a mayoral candidate facing any opposition in Dallas history. Prior to becoming mayor, Johnson served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, where he represented the City of Dallas from April 2010 to June 2019. During his tenure in the Texas Legislature, Johnson served on several legislative committees, including Appropriations, Ways and Means, Higher Education, and Natural Resources. He also served as chairman of the Dallas Area Legis- lative Delegation. In addition to his service as Mayor of Dallas, Johnson is also a partner with the international law firm of Troutman Pepper Locke LLP. Recently, the Journal had the opportunity to talk with Mayor Johnson about his life and vision for his community. UNSHAKABLE LEADERSHIP By all accounts, Brother Eric Johnson’s path to leadership began in modest surroundings, shaped not by privilege but by perseverance. Born and raised in West Dallas—a community more often associated with struggle than
The Honorable Eric L. Johnson has served as the 60th Mayor of Dallas, Texas since 2019. In September 2023, he became a member of the Republican Party, making Dallas the largest U.S. city led by a Republican Mayor.
opportunity—Johnson’s early years were marked by limited means but limitless ambition. His trajectory shifted at a young age. While attending Dallas ISD schools, fate and hard work aligned when Johnson received a life-changing scholarship through the West Dallas Boys & Girls Club to attend the prestigious Greenhill School. There, he flourished. By the time he grad- uated in 1994, Johnson had already defied the odds and laid the ground- work for a life committed to service, scholarship, and leadership. Looking
back on it now, Johnson shares, “my unwavering commitment to public safety was undoubtedly shaped by my experience growing up in a rough Dallas neighborhood.” His childhood, marked by the sounds of gunfire and the heartbreak of losing friends to violence, instilled in him a profound determination to build a safer city for future generations. “I don’t want my children—or anyone else in Dallas— to endure those experiences,” he emphasizes. This personal connection to the struggles of everyday Dallasites has
26 THE JOURNAL ♦ WINTER 2024-2025
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