Kay York Johnson grew up in Greenville and is a graduate of Greenville High School. After high school Kay went on to complete a BS in Biology and the University of Maine and then an MBA at the University of New Hampshire. Kay’s career took her to various locations in Maine and New Hampshire where she was a Junior and High School educator, Camp Director, and Director of Small Business Management for the National Arborist Association.
Kay’s focus over the last 20 years has been on preserving the environment specifically in the Wilson Pond region and the state of Maine. As president of Friends of Wilson Ponds’ Board of Directors, she has implemented a Courtesy Boat Inspection program and continued their Water Quality Monitoring program. Friends manage a 150-acre parcel of forested shoreland on Lower Wilson Pond which contains five rustic campsites available to the public free of charge.
In 2023, Friends received a gift of 15.85 acres of land for conservation on Lower Wilson Pond called the Adams Preserve. And most recently, Friends supported the acquisition of 3000 acres for the purchase of a conservation easement by the Forest Society of Maine by raising $200,000 which enabled FSM to receive a grant from NAWCA (North American Wetlands Conservation Act).
Kay has dedicated her life to volunteer work including, Village School PTA President, Hooksett, NH; Hooksett Congregational, Church Moderator; Hooksett Teachers’ Union, President; Town of Hooksett Budget Committee; Genessee Foundation, President, Genessee, CO; Planned Parenthood of North Texas, Board of Directors; Friends of Wilson Ponds, a Maine Land Trust, President, Greenville, ME; and Founding member of Moosehead Regional Land Trust (ME);President of Moosehead Marine Museum; Vice Commodore of Moosehead Lake Yacht Club.