“...it has been a great ride. I not only got to work with a great staff, but along the way met so many people who shared our common goals.”
From the City of Corinth Police Chief to Mississippi 811 President, Fred Johnson earned the respect of
those who worked with him and those he faithfully served. It was not uncommon to sit in a meeting with Fred who quietly listened intently to every word spoken without making a comment. No need to speak out loud if you weren’t going to add anything beneficial to the meeting. It was his style of leadership and Mississippi 811 benefited from it.
He began his career at Mississippi 811 as a Damage Prevention Coordinator in 2004. There he connected with the utilities, excavators and locators in the field to help resolve the natural frustrations that arise on any job site where conflicts abound. During the early days, while his experience in excavation may have been lacking, his understanding of conflict resolution and people helped make him a go-to person when things needed to be ratcheted down.
In 2005 Fred accepted the challenge of Call Center Manager that morphed into Operations Manager, where his penchant for efficiency made a lasting mark on the entire organization.
When Sam Johnson, long-time President retired in 2023, the 811 Board of Directors turned to Fred to lead the organization forward for at least two years, giving them some time to consider a longer-term solution for the leadership of the organization. Fred did what he always did, when he was asked for help, he said “yes.”
His familiarity with the staff, the board, and the operation of Mississippi 811 as well as his personal integrity was a winning combination for all users and members of Mississippi 811. He fulfilled his commitment to the Board by serving the two years they requested and recognized it was the right time for Mississippi
811 to move forward under new leadership with new ideas and energy. He shared a thought before handing off the baton to Mike Morgan, President of Mississippi 811, effective March 1, 2025. He said, “Never forget that everything we’ve done in the past and everything you do in the future should be done with the understanding that the staff is not Mississippi 811. The members are Mississippi 811. And all of us work for them.”
On February 25, 2025, a retirement ceremony was held to honor Fred Johnson. Coworkers, friends, family, and peers attended to reflect on past accomplishments, funny stories, and share in everyone’s best wishes for him going forward.
When asked to summarize his time at Mississippi 811 he smiled and said, “Well, first of all, it has been a great ride. I not only got to work with a great staff, but along the way met so many people who shared our common goals. They were good people, passionate, willing to share their thoughts and became partners
in our quest to make Mississippi a safer place to live and work.”
He continued, “There’s no other way to say it. I’ve been blessed and it’s been an honor and privilege to have had the opportunity to serve and now it’s time to pass the baton to the next generation of professionals.”
Well said and well done, my friend!