Glenn Johnson taught classes in television news, communication management and other courses for 35 years at Washington State University. Retiring as a professor emeritus and the Les Smith Distinguished Professor of Media Management in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication in 2014, he mentored and inspired countless students and that mentoring continued after he left WSU. Johnson received the Edward L. Bliss Distinguished Broadcast Journalism Educator, the top national award named after a Murrow colleague, and was the first educator inducted into the Silver Circle by the Seattle chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The WSU Alumni Association presented him with the honorary alumnus award and the WSU Foundation gave him the Outstanding Service Award.
Well known as the “Voice of the Cougs,” Johnson has been the public address announcer for Cougar football and men’s basketball since 1980 and continues in that role. He started the iconic phrase with fan participation, “And that’s another, Cougar First Down” in 1983.
Johnson demonstrated his commitment to public service shortly after arriving in Pullman when he was asked to serve as co-chair of a successful bond measure that built a new police station. He was a commissioner with the Pullman hospital and served as its president for three years when the commissioners voted to move the hospital off campus and build a modern facility on Bishop Boulevard. He volunteered as a public information officer with the Pullman Police and Fire Departments. He was elected mayor in November 2003 and stood for 20 years and five elections without an opponent. He is the longest serving mayor since Pullman was founded in 1888. As chair of the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, his leadership was instrumental in projects to realign and expand the runway, install instrument approach to significantly reduce weather cancellations, and construct a new 50,000 sq. ft. terminal. As mayor he served on the association’s board that represents all 281 cities and towns in the state—the Association of Washington Cities (AWC)–and was its past president. He continued to work with AWC until the end of 2023 as the chair of AWC’s Employee Benefit Trust, that insures city employees. He also was on the board of the Municipal Research and Service Center (MRSC) and the state’s Transportation Improvement Board (TIB). He has served since 2000 as secretary-treasurer of the Washington State Association of Broadcasters.
He was appointed by the Governor as a trustee of the Community Colleges of Spokane and is in his second term. He serves on the board of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACT).
Johnson holds an AA degree from Modesto Junior College, a BA from Sacramento State University, a MS degree from UCLA and Ph.D. in mass communications from the University of Iowa. Before his time in Pullman, he had a distinguished career as a news reporter, broadcaster, and station manager in California. Johnson, along with his wife, Kathryn, raised their two children in Pullman, embracing a lifelong commitment to community engagement and service.