He served for nearly 15 years as Chief Executive Officer of the NMC and provided leadership in the areas of strategic planning; program development; fundraising; partnerships with business and industry; the development and management of fiscal and human resources; and policy. Under Johnson's tenure, the New Media Consortium (NMC) grew to be an international not-for-profit consortium of learning-focused organizations dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and new technologies. Its hundreds of member institutions still constitute an elite list of the most highly regarded colleges and universities in the world, as well as leading museums, key research centers, and some of the world's most forward-thinking companies. Under his leadership, the consortium and its members dedicated themselves to exploring and developing potential applications of emerging technologies for learning, research, and creative inquiry. The consortium's Horizon Reports, which Johnson founded and directed for more than a decade, are still regarded worldwide as the most timely and authoritative sources of information on new and emerging technologies available to education anywhere.