2010-2011 Donor Honor Roll

Gerald Johnston

He invests in public higher education because it paid off for him.

Gerald (Jerry) Johnston ’71 knows the value of public higher education. Now retired, his successful career culminated at the top of international business when he served as the chairman and CEO of Clorox Company, a global Fortune 500 company headquartered in Oakland, Calif.

Jerry graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 1971 with a B.A. in business administration from the College of Business and Economics (now Mihaylo College). He joined Procter & Gamble soon after graduating and remained there for 10 years before moving to the Clorox Company, where he was employed for 25 years.

While at Cal State Fullerton, Jerry was very involved in many aspects of university life, including a fraternity. “I liked everything about the university,” he said. “I had great experiences at Cal State Fullerton, and my education was critical to accomplishing what I did in the workplace.”

A current Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation board member, Jerry has been giving back to his alma mater since the ’80s. He recently chose to support the university’s STEM Initiative, which will help enhance programs in science, technology, engineering and math – the “STEM” fields. “The Clorox Company is thought of as a product and marketing company,” said Jerry, “but it’s also about science and technology. That’s why I chose to support STEM.” Jerry believes that public education is a good investment for anyone. “Cal State Fullerton is vital to both Orange County and Southern California in general. It’s worthy of our support.”

For information about giving to the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, please contact Camille Harper at 657-278-2245 or charper@fullerton.edu.