Melissa Johnson

Sr. Vice President of Industrial Development

Melissa Johnson 05.14.18 113

Melissa Johnson is an economic and real estate development executive with over two decades of experience in public-sector leadership. She is responsible for defining and executing The Port’s Industrial Revitalization strategy, focused on driving large-scale regeneration of industrial sites to attract next-generation manufacturing to Hamilton County. This includes acquiring, cleaning up, and preparing sites for new manufacturing investment and job creation. She draws on her expertise in brownfield redevelopment and environmental stewardship of strategic real estate to work with manufacturing companies and regional economic development partners to ready sites for development, including assemblage, demolition, remediation, and site certification.

Melissa has worked as a member of The Port’s development finance team, where she marketed The Port’s public finance programs and technical assistance services to real estate developers, brokers, accounting firms, incentives consultants, municipalities, and other key economic development corporations to identify and vet suitable projects. She is an experienced leader in the execution of development strategy in the Cincinnati region. Focused on organizational leadership, underwriting, entitlements, strategy and comprehensive aspects of the development process, Melissa works to build and grow relationships with community, developers, and end users to further cultivate opportunity throughout a variety of sectors. Her depth of experience in development of urban sites allows her to leverage her economic development expertise and position organizations to be leaders in the communities they serve.

Melissa holds a BA in Urban & Regional Planning and a BA in Geography from Miami University, is a Certified Project Manager through Xavier University, and is working towards her Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation.

She serves on the Duke Energy Advisory Council, Greater Cincinnati Foreign Trade Zones Board, Dress For Success Development Committee and as Adjunct Professor at the University of Cincinnati Lindner College of Business. Melissa is a member of Leadership Cincinnati Class 42.