Leadership and Friendship Skills Remembered by Business Leader

BY PAMELA MCLAREN

Gerald Johnston

Gerald E. Johnston remembers his years at Cal State Fullerton as a full experience—a good education, good friends and good leadership training.

“The faculty certainly provided a good education, a solid foundation, to become successful and be competitive,” said Johnston, president and CEO of the Clorox Company and a 1971 business administration alumnus. “It was a very comfortable campus environment. The overall experience is what one would expect of a quality institution.”

During his years at CSUF, Johnston—like many of his fellow students—worked to pay his way through school. He also was an active member of Phi Sigma Kappa and remembers well the value of being involved in the Greek system. “As a business major, the fraternity gave me a real organizational experience, especially from a leadership standpoint.

“I also valued my relationship with the fraternity adviser, George Enell [emeritus], professor of speech communication. He treated and respected you like an adult ... he provided the transition between your parents at home and the working world,” Johnson noted.

Johnston, named Clorox’s chairman of the board in January, joined the firm in 1981 after 10 years with Procter & Gamble. He is responsible for directing Clorox’s worldwide business, for which the Fortune 500 company reported revenues of $4.4 billion in fiscal year 2005.

In addition to his responsibilities with Clorox, Johnston remains an involved alumnus, serving as a member of the University Advancement Philanthropic Foundation Board of Governors. He was honored as a distinguished alumnus during the university’s annual Vision & Visionaries gala in 2001, and has been involved in a number of College of Business and Economics activities, including Professor for a Day and Presidents’ Month.

“These are good programs,” Johnson said of the annual events that bring business professionals into the classroom to share their experiences and knowledge with students. “I like getting together with students and talking to them about business issues and challenges.

“This is a really good part of the CSUF experience ... as students you are introduced to not only the education that you can get from books, but also how that knowledge can and is used in the working world.”