Kristy Johnson shares her heroic (and difficult) story of living through addiction, incarceration, rehabilitation and into recovery — all through the eyes of a loving mother. Her story proves that the small moments we have with anyone are influential and can have unimaginable impacts (for good or for bad). This leads us to believe the true value of “loving the one you are with” or simply being a non-judgmental force of hope for the future — to whomever we are with in any given moment.
Born and raised in the Twin Cities, Kristy has been a flourishing Fargo/Moorhead resident for the past 10 years after rebuilding a beautiful life for herself. Kristy previously spent many years in the system in different spectrums such as foster care, struggles with mental health and addiction, incarceration, and beyond. She now spends her time utilizing her journey and lived experience to serve the community.
Kristy wears numerous hats throughout North Dakota working with nonprofits, peer support, housing realms, state entities, Department of Corrections and Specialty Courts. Kristy wholeheartedly enjoys sharing her lived experience and thinking outside of the box in hopes of assisting others on their journey to wellness. Kristy is currently in school, aiming for her bachelor’s degree in social work.
Jennifer Burke Jackson leads JLG’s Community Studio, focused on projects of positive impact for the communities in which we live, work, and otherwise exist. Jennifer and her team recognize the far-reaching impact and value of personal stories, experiences, and voices within the community, especially those that are not often heard. Sharing challenges and understanding new perspectives drives Jennifer and the JLG Team to design solutions that do more to engage the full breadth of humanity. To be better architects (and better people), her team is learning out loud, sparking conversation, and inviting raw truth to redesign reality.
