Bert Nash CEO draws inspiration from his parents, who modeled a life of service

David Johnson doesn’t have to look far for inspiration.

In fact, he has to look no farther than his own office. There, hanging on the wall above his desk is a painting of one of the most inspirational people Johnson, CEO of the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, has ever known.

The painting is of his father.

Johnson’s father died in 2008, just shy of his 88th birthday. Oscar Johnson, who was a Lutheran pastor, overcame considerable physical limitations to leave a legacy of service for his four children.

“What other people heard on Sunday mornings, we heard and saw modeled every day of the week,” said David Johnson, who is the oldest of Oscar and Dody Johnson’s children. “That message being modeled through your formative years is something that sticks with you.”

The message continues to stick with David Johnson, now more than ever.

As the head of a nonprofit mental health facility, Johnson draws inspiration from his father when facing funding cuts that threaten programs and staffing, or when trying to break down social barriers that would deny people accessibility to mental health services.

The message Johnson learned from his father is one of perseverance, faith, never giving up and, most of all, service to others. Johnson’s father persevered in the face of serious physical disabilities. His left hand was crippled by polio and he lost his right arm in a car accident.

“I know it frustrated him, but he didn’t let that stop him,” Johnson said. “He always figured out ways to do things.”

Johnson, who grew up in Michigan and Iowa, credits both of his parents with instilling in him a sense of purposefulness and community service.

“I always say that anything good about me came from my parents,” Johnson said, “and anything that is a bit questionable I came up with myself.”

Johnson’s parents inspired the whole family. A niece, who is in the Peace Corps, did the painting of Johnson’s father that hangs in his office. She is in the Peace Corps in Ukraine.

Johnson continues to be inspired by his mother, Dody, who lives in Iowa City, Iowa, and all he has to do is look up from his desk to be reminded of his father’s message of perseverance and service.

“It is just something that is embedded in me by my parents,” Johnson said. “That painting, to me, is the story of a legacy of service that both of my parents provided to the family."