Johnson receives national service award

Dorothy A. Johnson, a member of the Grand Valley Board of Trustees since 1995, received the national Lifetime Citizen Service Award from the Voices for National Service coalition. She was honored at a ceremony February 12 in Washington, D.C.

The award honors those who have invested in the civic health of the country through support of national service and worked to protect and expand national service opportunities for all Americans.

“Dottie has demonstrated steadfast leadership in her work to strengthen philanthropy and national service,” said Kyle Caldwell, president and CEO of the Michigan Nonprofit Association and committee member of the Voices for National Service Steering Committee. “She served as a charter member of the Michigan Community Service Commission and was instrumental in helping develop the ConnectMichigan Alliance Endowment — a $20 million statewide fund to support service and volunteerism in Michigan.”

For 25 years, Johnson served as president of the Council of Michigan Foundations, the largest regional association of grantmakers. She also helped create other statewide philanthropy organizations including the Michigan Nonprofit Association, the Michigan Community Service Commission, the Aspen Institute-Michigan Nonprofit Research Program and Grand Valley’s Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership.

Johnson serves as a trustee for the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and has served on several boards of national philanthropy-related organizations including the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, Independent Sector, the Council on Foundations and the Foundation Center.