CAMPO announces new executive director

Ashby Johnson, a University of Texas alum, is returning to Austin to become executive director of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Hays County Commissioner Will Conley, who chairs CAMPO's board of directors, announced the hiring July 3. Conley said Johnson is a seasoned veteran in the metropolitan planning field. CAMPO coordinates transportation planning in the six-county Central Texas region of Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties.

"Ashby brings a multitude of different experiences that directly relate to metropolitan planning organizations," he said.

Before taking the job, Johnson worked at the Houston-Galveston Area Council as deputy director of transportation and air quality and previously as deputy MPO director. Johnson was also elected as executive director of the Association of Texas Metropolitan Planning Organizations in October 2012.

Heading CAMPO means understanding the different levels of government, something with which Johnson is familiar, Conley said.

"[MPOs] are a combination of federal, state and local resources and cooperations, so it's very important to have that level of experience," he said.

Upon taking the reins from former CAMPO executive director Maureen McCoy, who retired in February, Johnson will examine CAMPO's resources and immediately get involved with the organization's 2040 long-range transportation plan, which is slated for approval next May.

"He's going to take a hard look at our operations and where we're investing our money, and he's going to have to get involved with the planning process immediately and steer us down the right path," Conley said.

Johnson is expected to report to CAMPO in August or September, Conley said.