In September 2017, Geri Yang-Johnson was elected to serve on The California Wellness Foundation’s Board of Directors. She is currently Senior Fellow – Climate Equity and Inclusive Green Economy for the Central Valley Community Foundation (CVCF). She leads regional planning to support the growth of an inclusive green economy and position the Central Valley as a leader in the climate transition. For more than 15 years, she has dedicated herself to improving communities through advocacy, philanthropy and development. She is a leader focused on developing inclusive economies centered on racial equity and social justice. Prior to joining CVCF, Yang-Johnson was the Transformative Communities National Director for Green For All at Dream.org. Yang-Johnson launched Transformative Communities to support local communities and secure public and private investments for community-led climate infrastructure. Before joining Dream.org, Yang-Johnson was Vice President and Social Impact and Sustainability Senior Consultant at Wells Fargo. She implemented Wells Fargo’s public affairs strategy, and community and economic development programs. Yang-Johnson managed Wells Fargo’s regional philanthropy, community investments and maintained the company’s social impact and sustainability initiatives that supported underserved populations. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, she served as a program officer for Central Valley Community Foundation where she managed the Environment Grant Fund, worked to empower underserved communities, and strengthen the capacity of nonprofits.
In addition to serving on the board of Cal Wellness, she also serves on the board of the James B. McClatchy Foundation, foundations working to address California’s most pressing social and economic issues. Yang-Johnson also serves on the California Governor’s Entrepreneurship Task Force and as a member of the National Advisory Committee to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). She was an Executive Committee Member for Fresno DRIVE, a $4 billion regional inclusive economy investment plan, leading efforts focused on racial equity. She previously served on the boards of The Women’s Foundation of California, Access Plus Capital (Fresno CDFI), Reinvent Stockton Foundation and the Statewide Steering Committee for Smart Growth California. Yang-Johnson is a 2017 Bankers Without Borders Global Fellow and a 2014 Funders Network PLACES Fellow.
In 2021, she received the Fresno State Top Dog Alumni Award for her “contributions to her profession, the University, and the community.” In 2019, Yang-Johnson was awarded the Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) Margaret Ashida Leadership Award for demonstrating leadership in her work. In 2015, the City of Fresno honored her with the Women Leading the Way Award and a year later, she was honored with the Trailblazer Award. In 2018, Yang-Johnson founded the Mala Scholarship Fund with Central California Asian Pacific Women to support first-generation AAPI students in their pursuit of higher education.
One of 13 children from a farming family in the Central Valley, Yang-Johnson has a profound interest in rural and agricultural-based economies in California and worldwide. She has traveled to India to work with Navdanya, a network of seed keepers and organic producers. Yang-Johnson earned her BA in Women’s Studies from California State University, Fresno.