# Eric Johnston > Transformational Executive and Founder | Empowering People, Innovating Systems & Shaping the Future of Civic Information Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/ericjohnston Accomplished executive with more than 25 years of experience in leading multimillion-dollar, consumer and customer-focused organizations, establishing unified, diverse and inclusive teams across national operations, and directing multi-faceted initiatives that drive systemic and sustained change. My focus on promoting sustainable culture shifts, leading integration for advanced technology solutions, and oxygenating new ideas has been instrumental driving innovation in highly complex markets and generating substantial gains in both revenue and profitability. ## Work Experience ### Co-Founder @ LiquidAmber Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area ### Founder and Principal @ Latent Edge Advisors Jan 2021 – Present | California, United States Partnering with domestic and international organizations across multiple consumer sectors to drive financial performance and strategic growth. Delivering rigorous financial management, strategic planning, and operational excellence to advance revenue generation, organizational development, stakeholder engagement, and DEI initiatives. ### Chief Executive Officer @ Sonoma Media Investments, LLC Jan 2022 – Jan 2025 | Sonoma County, California, United States • Led strategic planning initiatives to increase audience and market share for seven community publications, including The Press Democrat, North Bay Business Journal and Sonoma Magazine. • Implemented new revenue streams and improved operating efficiencies across the operation, resulting in improved, sustainable profitability. • Launched The Press Democrat Journalism Trust, a 501(c)3 organization, to provide financial support and practical experience to student journalists. Leveraged resources to result in enhanced visibility resulting in a 30% growth in organizational funding. • Successfully led company through acquisition in May, 2025. ### President, Western Division @ Adams Publishing Group LLC Jan 2018 – Jan 2021 | Seattle, Washington, United States As President of the Western Division, my role was centered on providing vision and guidance for establishing new goals, developing pathways to success, and integrating both the operational frameworks and technological platforms necessary to achieve company objectives in highly challenging environments. My relentless drive to foster a culture of continuous improvement and penchant for aligning multidisciplinary teams has allowed me to impact efficiency, increase companywide productivity, and produce measurable gains in profitability. I believe that protecting and strengthening the culture of an organization is critical to long-term success and by investing in individuals, supporting professional growth, and empowering staff through positive motivation, I have been able to create autonomous leaders acutely focused on achieving common goals. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to work with so many incredibly talented professionals and have had the opportunity to empower individuals through targeted mentoring, coaching, and motivation. This team-centric approach is an integral part of my leadership strategy and underpins my success in defining an aggressive company trajectory built to outperform our competition. I have been instrumental in leading innovation, overseeing key M&A projects, and refining business models to provide clients with industry leading products and services. ### Chief Operating Officer @ Pioneer News Group Jan 2014 – Jan 2018 | Seattle, Washington As Chief Operating Officer, my role was focused on managing complex operations spanning multiple states and leading cross functional teams to continuously improve metrics performance. During this time, I led a strategic initiative that comprehensively transformed our content management model and allowed us to not only standardize excellence across all content development methodologies but also substantially reduce our operating costs. By applying Kaizen-style principles to long-standing processes, rethinking how we serve our customers across the entire life cycle, and delivering exemplary quality across our product portfolio, I was able to drive extensive gains in efficiency while positioning the organization for long-term success in continuously evolving markets. ### President and Publisher @ The Modesto Bee and Merced Sun-Star Jan 2009 – Jan 2014 | Modesto, California Area As President of Modesto Bee and The Merced Sun-Star, I was integrally involved in developing highly capable senior leaders grounded in company values while refining operational protocols to weather dramatic shifts in the market. I led strategic initiatives to diversify revenue streams, increase brand presence, and successfully stabilize company finances during the economic downturn. This allowed us to continue to fulfill our mission and deliver outstanding content and marketing solutions to customers across the country. Throughout my career, I have maintained a focus on positively impacting the community, and at the Modesto Bee, I leveraged the influence and position of the organization to support a wide range of programs spanning education, arts, healthcare, and economic development. ### Vice President, Interactive Media, Audience Development & Classified Advertising @ The Modesto Bee and Merced Sun-Star Jan 2000 – Jan 2009 | Modesto, California, United States During this time, I was involved in expanding our audience across a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic segments, which allowed us to establish brand equity in highly competitive regions, generate explosive revenue growth, and design solutions that produced unprecedented gains across all key metrics. ### Online Managing Editor @ The Fresno Bee Jan 1998 – Jan 2000 | Fresno, California, United States In this role, I managed design and content planning for online products, including fresnobee.com and three weekly newspaper products. • Migrated site from one publishing system to another, including a full site redesign. • Crafted and coordinated unique content for online publication. • Developed detailed daily production routines for all online products, assuring ongoing, reliable production. ### Online Design Manager @ Calkins Newspaper Group Jan 1995 – Jan 1998 Managed site design, engineering, data publishing and user experience for group of three Philadelphia-area newspapers. Responsibilities included coordination among newspaper staffs, coporate operational teams, advertising staff and external vendors. ### Photojournalist @ The Lodi News-Sentinel Jan 1993 – Jan 1995 | Lodi, California, United States ## Education ### BA in Journalism, Emphasis in Photo Communcations California State University, Fresno ### Advanced HR/Staff Development Cornell University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ericejohnston - Portfolio: https://www.liquidamber.ai --- Source: https://flows.cv/ericjohnston JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/ericjohnston/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13