Courtney Johnson was born and raised in San Diego! She attended Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista and Cal State San Marcos. She plans to go back to Cal State to obtain her Master’s degree.  She grew up in North County and still lives there (she finds it hard to leave such a beautiful place where she is surrounded by family.)  Speaking of family, Courtney has been busy over the past couple of years growing hers! She got engaged to her wonderful fiance, Jordan, right before the pandemic started, and had a baby girl (Maeve who is now 17 months old) and they are expecting their second daughter this November.

In her professional life, Courtney spent 10 years working in the medical device field. After working in that industry for so long, she wanted to try something different to challenge herself and entered the world of facility services with CCS in 2018, and was promoted to Director of Business Development earlier this year!  Courtney is responsible for growing the San Diego market as well as providing support and mentorship to the Business Development Managers.

In BOMA, Courtney serves as the Programs & Seminars Co-Chairperson and a first year Board of Directors member.  Read below to learn more about Courtney and her leadership journey.

BOMA San Diego: Congratulations on your recent promotion to Director of Business Development at CCS!  What are you excited about in your new role? What do you fear? 

Courtney: Thank you! I am excited to work towards not only my evolution but to help someone else grow and become successful. I am excited to venture out of my comfort zone, to test myself as much as possible. I am not one to worry about something that may never happen, or fear things that I may have no control over – but I will say that it has been a challenge for me letting go of things and passing the reins in certain areas. I’m a work in progress.

BOMA San Diego: BOMA San Diego’s pillars are advocacy, education, professional development, and networking.  Which pillar do you find the most benefit in and why? 

Courtney: I find professional development to be an extremely important pillar on so many levels. I truly believe I would not be here today without the constant push to be just a little better, to try just a little harder, to challenge myself just a little bit more. BOMA is a great resource to help with this from the Membership Meetings to the Lunch and Learns and Educational Workshops. Everyone here has the ability to grow exponentially, both professionally and personally, they just need to take the initiative to jump in feet first.

BOMA San Diego: BOMA is big on professional development. What skills have you acquired or worked on in your time as a BOMA member that are applicable to your career? 

Courtney: As previously mentioned, I am big on professional development and BOMA is a big reason for my progress at CCS. BOMA has given me the confidence to not shy away from something that seems daunting or may be unfamiliar. When I joined BOMA in 2018, I didn’t know a single person – that didn’t stop me from joining 4 committees and immersing myself in the culture and comradery.  I now Chair Programs and Seminars, actively participate in three more committees, and sit on the Board. Doing all of this has helped me become a better mentor (and mentee – always learning, right?), helped me manage my time more efficiently, and showed me that it is OK to ask for help and guidance when needed – which is sometimes a lot!

BOMA San Diego: This is your first year serving on the Board. What inspired you to apply?

Courtney: One word (three words?): Melanie Bamba-Milinkevich. Talk about having someone in your corner. Melanie is that. I had honestly never even considered joining the Board until Melanie suggested (told) me I should apply. When I hesitated, she forwarded me the letter of recommendation she had already written for me. That felt good. That gave me that last bit of assurance I needed to jump in – and I did – and here I am! I love that about Mel, and I hope to be that supportive to at least one person – in BOMA or anywhere. Be someone’s motivation, someone’s voice in their head saying, ‘you can and should absolutely do this!”

BOMA San Diego: Here’s your chance to plug the Programs and Seminars Committee.  What’s the most rewarding thing about being involved on that team? What is your proudest accomplishment related to your work on that Committee? 

Courtney: I will plug the Programs and Seminars Committee any chance I get. For those that don’t know exactly what the the Programs and Seminars Committee does, we create, plan, and (successfully) execute all the membership luncheons (6 per year).  These meetings come with a lot of collaboration, knowing the current industry trends, more brainstorming and A LOT of planning. I honestly cannot say enough great things about the committee. We have an extremely talented group that walks the walk. I am so proud to say that every person on the committee is involved in orchestrating 1, if not 2 luncheons per year. It has been extremely rewarding and some of my proudest moments to see new, maybe shy members, come out of their shells and go on to deliver such a detailed, educations, and well-organized program. Love to see it!

BOMA San Diego: Who is your role model and what is the best piece of advice they’ve given you? 

Courtney: My old VP of Sales from my first job out of college told me that he will never get mad at me for trying and failing, only if I don’t try and fail. It is a simple message, but it’s true and I share the sentiment to this day.

BOMA San Diego: How do you maintain your own energy with all of the responsibilities you have in life?

Courtney: First, coffee, then the desire to succeed (with maybe a little more coffee). Now that I have a daughter, I feel it is even more important and crucial for me to show her how to be strong, independent, and confident. I hope when she is older, there won’t be the need for her to prove herself even more as a woman, but I want to ensure I am emulating that drive and strength for her and my future daughter.

BOMA San Diego: Complete this sentence. If you really knew me, you would know that…

Courtney: I am extremely sarcastic and try not to take myself too seriously. I had to delete half my answers because they weren’t serious enough. It’s a daily struggle.