The first piece of large printing equipment Cindy Johnson bought was a collator stitcher, a machine which gathered printed items in sections and stapled them together.
When she first entered the design and printing industry, she said the World Wide Web was a recent development and email existed in its most archaic form. Three years ago, her son purchased Johnson’s collator stitcher and repurposed it as a goat feeder.
“I think it’s the funniest thing,” Johnson said. “You know, now all our press equipment is digital. When I first came here, we had a lot of conventional printing presses, and we’ve moved away from that.”
Johnson began her career with the University of Idaho as the associate director of Information Technology Services (ITS) in 1987.
Her position involved Printing and Design Services, which was then a subset of ITS, she said. When Printing and Design became a part of UI Marketing and Communications in 2005, Johnson came with it. After 30 years with the university, Johnson will retire from her position as director of Creative Services Friday.
UI Graphic Design Specialist Beth Case was hired by Johnson shortly after Johnson began at the university. Over the years, she said she saw Johnson’s department experience less turnover than most.
“People talk about high turnover rates at the university, but her department has always been pretty solid,” Case said. “Some people have left obviously, for different reasons, but her percentage was much lower than other departments.”
Case said she attributes the low turnover rate of Johnson’s department to how well the director of Creative Services encouraged her employees to experience life outside of work.
“Gosh, back when I first started working here, in the first four years I did three Grand Canyon trips, each 21 days long, and she encouraged me to do that,” Case said. “She said, ‘You know, you’ve got to experience life, you should go.’ She’s been that way with all of us.”
Throughout her career, Johnson said she’s always believed in the importance of maintaining a balance between life and work.
“I think it is good always, whatever career you choose, to keep that work-life balance and to always take care of yourself and the people you care about, as well as your job,” Johnson said.
Case said Johnson has also navigated changes within the printing and design industry while supporting her staff.
“She really tries to help people be the best they can be,” Case said. “She’s a good leader and very adaptable. She’s managed a lot of changes over the years. She’s worked here through 10 different presidents and, you know, brand changes and logo changes.”
Technology underwent tremendous changes from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, and Johnson said the largest part of her job was adapting to change.
“My biggest career … path is just seeing those changes in technology and what they brought to communications and marketing and connecting people in new ways,” Johnson said. “Every job changes throughout a period of time, this one in particular, mostly due to technology. It has been a life-long learning experience.”
Although she’s retiring, Johnson said she’s not worried about filling her free time. She has served as a mentor for students in the Moscow School District for 19 years, and it’s a role that she’s not quite ready to give up yet.
“I’ve had kids in elementary and middle school. I’ve enjoyed it, I plan on continuing that,” Johnson said. “I also have a six-month-old Golden Retriever puppy at home and a three-month-old granddaughter, so I’ll be able to fill my time easily.”
After a 30-year-long career at UI, Johnson said she’s learned that above all else, it’s important to be open to new challenges.
“Don’t be afraid to try something new and sometimes, what looks like it might be a little intimidating, to take it on and just learn as much as you can about it,” Johnson said. “Don’t be afraid to move into a new realm.”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected]or on Twitter @CorrBond