Award to be conferred at RPA’s annual Celebrate the Tri-State Gala October 17th, 2024
NEW YORK, NY — AUGUST 13, 2024 — Each fall Regional Plan Association (RPA) hosts the Celebrate the Tri-State benefit, bringing together civic, business, public and elected leaders to recognize three outstanding contributors to the region’s public realm and support RPA’s work. The Above and Beyond award is presented to an RPA board member whose efforts on behalf of the organization and impact on the region have been exemplary. This year’s recipient is RPA Vice Chairman, attorney, and community advocate, Jim Johnson.
Honoring Jim Johnson
For most of his career, RPA Vice Chairman Jim Johnson, has advanced major efforts to promote the common good through his life’s work as an attorney, public servant, and community leader. As Board Chair of the Brennan Center for Justice, he was a staunch advocate for voting rights across the country, including personally representing classes of voters and potential voters in several cases in Florida and Colorado. He also launched efforts to bring together law enforcement leaders to reduce crime and incarceration. In New Jersey, Jim led the state’s Advisory Committee on Police Standards, spearheading efforts to eliminate racial profiling by the State Troopers with a legislative package that received strong bipartisan support. As Special Counsel to Governor Murphy, he led efforts to build a better future for Atlantic City where he produced and implemented a groundbreaking transition report: “Building a Foundation for a Shared Prosperity. He served as the court-appointed monitor implementing an affordable housing consent decree in Westchester County and developed approaches that the NY Times Editorial Board commended as “encouraging” in the face of a difficult path forward.
Early in Jim’s career, he served as Under Secretary of the U.S. Treasury where he led one third of all federal law enforcement. Jim also served as the Deputy Director of the White House Security Review and, as such, was the force behind the decision to close Pennsylvania Avenue to vehicles. The decision opened the avenue to the public and drastically reduced the threat posed by attacks like the Oklahoma City bombing. During the worst and most lethal days of the pandemic, he served as Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, the largest municipal law department in the country. In that role, he provided guidance to all of the city agencies and the mayor during that time of crisis. Jim currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Trinity Church, which has had centuries of impact in New York City and around the world.
“As Chairman of the RPA Board of Directors, I’ve been fortunate and inspired to have Jim Johnson as a Vice Chairman,” said Raymond McGuire, Chairman of RPA’s Board of Directors. “His highly informed depth and breadth of knowledge and expertise and his cross-sector public service to our region are exemplary. Jim’s record of achievement and commitment to advance RPA’s mission to improve economic health, environmental sustainability, and quality of life in the tri-state area is unmatched. We look forward to congratulating him at this year’s Celebrate the Tri-State gala this October.”
“Congratulations to Jim Johnson, the 2024 recipient of RPA’s Above and Beyond award,” said Tom Wright, President and CEO of Regional Plan Association. “Like many of RPA’s board members, his formidable career spans public service and leadership in the private sector. The arc of Jim’s career spans communities across the tri-state region, and in every job he has held, he devoted himself to creating more equitable, prosperous and inclusive communities. RPA has benefited immensely from his talent and experience, and we are delighted to honor him at the 2024 Celebrate the Tri-State gala.”
To hear more about Jim Johnson’s impact on the region earning him RPA’s Above and Beyond award, please join us at our gala, Celebrating the Tri-State on October 17th, 2024. Tickets and as well as more information can be found here.
Past recipients of the Above and Beyond award include:
Jun Choi, CEO, Menlo Realty Venture, conferred by Margaret Crotty, CEO, JSI
Scott Rechler, CEO, RXR Realty, conferred by Rick Cotton, Executive Director, Port Authority New York New Jersey
Peggy Shepard, Executive Director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Maxine Griffith, Senior Advisor to the President and Adjunct Professor of Urban Planning, Columbia University, conferred by Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins
Bob Billingsley, Vice Chairman, Cushman & Wakefield, conferred by Tony Coscia, Chair, Amtrak
