Gov. Greg Abbott names new director to San Jacinto River Authority board

Editor's note: This story was updated to include a comment from Stephanie Johnson. This story was also corrected to remove Harris County and Lake Houston from SJRA's listed jurisdiction

Gov. Greg Abbott announced the appointment of the San Jacinto River Authority board’s latest director July 7. Stephanie Johnson—an executive search director at the Houston-based staffing agency Richard, Wayne and Roberts—was named as a director with a term set to end on Oct. 16, 2025, according to a news release from the governor's office.

The SJRA is a state government agency intended to develop, conserve and protect the water resources of the San Jacinto River Basin, which includes several Houston-area counties, such as Montgomery County. Johnson will fill the vacant position on the river authority’s seven-member board, which directs the agency's activities, such as developing lake lowering plans for Lake Conroe, and enacting flood control measures.

According to SJRA's director of communications Heather Ramsey, the board position was vacant for over a year, following the resignation of Kaaren Cambio in March 2021.

SJRA General Manager Jace Houston provided a statement to Community Impact Newspaper, congratulating Johnson on her appointment.

“We congratulate Mrs. Johnson on her appointment and look forward to working with her,” Houston said via a spokesperson’s email.

Johnson told Community Impact Newspaper on July 7 that she was "excited to serve" and had to complete some additional paperwork before she could join the board.

According to her professional bio on RWR’s website, Johnson is a certified personnel consultant who has been recruiting “top-level talent” for the oil and gas industry since 2006.

SJRA board of directors meetings take place on the fourth Thursday of each month, in person at the SJRA Lake Conroe campus at 1577 Dam Site Road, Conroe. The board's next meeting will take place July 28. Meetings are also streamed live on the SJRA website.