Richard Johnson Director, Human Resources/Special Projects

A veteran staff developer, trainer, and facilitator, Rick has spent the bulk of his professional career in training, organizational development, and human resources within both the public and private sectors. After earning an undergraduate degree in social science and an M.S. degree in creativity and innovation management, he worked in a variety of organizational development positions for many years. During that time he was employed in progressively responsible staff and consultative roles for several major corporations as well as in local and state agencies. In 1999 he joined the Center as a trainer in the Human Resource Management unit (now the Management Leadership Institute).

Rick assumed his current responsibilities as Director of Human Resources and Special Projects in 2002. In his role on the CDHS Management team Rick is responsible for managing the personnel and staff development functions for the Center’s nearly 400 employees at the Buffalo headquarters and regional offices, as well as for the administrative supervision of close to 200 CDHS outstation staff working through contracts with the NYS Department of Health (DOH) and the NYS Department of Family Assistance Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). He is committed to continually advancing the organizational capacity of CDHS and to facilitating and promoting the individual growth and development of staff assigned to CDHS worksites throughout New York State.