Johnson, who received a BA from Cornell and an MA from George Washington University, was named PHMSA’s second Administrator by President Bush on October 30, 2007, and confirmed by the Senate on December 19, 2007. He served until the end of the Bush administration. Previously, Johnson served as director of federal government regulations at Corning Glass Works; special assistant to New York Republican Representative Amory Houghton (whose great-great grandfather founded Corning Glass Works); and, for many years, president of the Compressed Gas Association, as well as chairman of the Helium Advisory Council.