Leslie Friedman Johnson is Principal and Co-Founder of CNRG. For over 35 years, she has worked to advance major statewide, regional, and local environmental policy and legislative agendas, and helped unlock billions of dollars for water, land conservation, climate resilience, and community-based natural resource programs.
Before founding CNRG in 2014, Leslie spent a decade as Partner at Conservation Strategy Group and previously led state and federal affairs at The Nature Conservancy, where she launched the organization’s first California Public Lands Program and Water Program.
Leslie is a graduate of UC Berkeley, and currently serves on the Board of Sustainable Conservation and as President of the Board of Russian RiverKeeper. Leslie lives in Healdsburg, along the Russian River, where she remains deeply connected to the landscapes and waterways she’s spent her career protecting.
