News

Johnson Farm honors executive director with a week of appreciation

Historic Johnson Farm Executive Director Mandy Gibson teaches students in the barn at the farm.

By Lightning Reports, Published: September 16, 2026

The Historic Johnson Farm community came together in August to honor Executive Director Mandy Gibson with an Appreciation Week recognizing her eight years of transformative leadership at the farm.

Volunteers, students and community members offered thoughtful gestures throughout the week of August 24-28, culminating in an Appreciation Celebration on the farm grounds, according to a press release from the farm.
Gibson, who joined Historic Johnson Farm in the spring of 2018, has played a pivotal role in strengthening the farm’s educational mission and expanding its reach throughout Henderson County. Her work has elevated the farm’s profile, deepened its connection to local schools and advanced the vision set forth by brothers Vernon and Leander Johnson, who donated the property to Henderson County Public Schools in 1987.
Gibson is the farm’s only full-time staff member, supported by a dedicated team of about 50 volunteers, two field trip assistants and an animal caretaker. She is widely admired for her exceptional people-centered leadership—patient, kind, attentive and genuinely invested in those she leads.
Throughout Appreciation Week, volunteers and supporters found creative ways to celebrate Gibson by giving notes of thanks, gifts of appreciation and a lot of good things to eat.
The final celebration brought together board members, volunteers, students and community partners to recognize her dedication and the lasting impact of her leadership.
Speakers emphasized that Gibson has “taken the farm to another level,” expanding programming, strengthening partnerships and ensuring that the Johnson brothers’ legacy continues to thrive, the farm said.
Through her success at grant writing Gibson has fueled much of the farm’s recent growth. She secured a $50,000 federal grant for the farm’s “RootEd in Food & Farm” initiative, which supports hands-on educational programming and curriculum development.
Other grants she secured include a Meta Community Grant to launch a Mobile Design Studio and a Farm Bureau of Henderson County Grant that supports agricultural programming and provides stipends for high school agriculture students who cultivate and manage a vegetable garden on the farm property. Other grants Gibson secured funded the restoration of the original windows in the 1880 farmhouse and repainted five of the property’s historic buildings.
Gibson also oversaw the renovation of the barn loft museum and launched the Junior Interpreters program for middle school students, who visit the farm monthly to assist with tasks and learn the fundamentals of public history.
Her other achievements include organizing a spring break camp for students and strengthening a partnership with the Heritage Weavers and Fiber Artists, who lease the old white boarding house built by the Johnson brothers in the 1920s. Gibson also collaborates with the County Education History Initiative, contributing resources and expertise to preserve and share the region’s educational heritage.
Gibson also wrote “Winston the Farm Dog,” a children’s book that introduces young readers to farm life through the eyes of a beloved canine character. She is currently writing a book about the History of Johnson Farm.
The farm’s visibility has grown under her leadership as well. Historic Johnson Farm was featured on the Ingles Open Road Show, bringing regional attention to its history, programs and community impact.
When the Johnson brothers donated their farm to Henderson County, they wanted the property to serve as a Heritage Education Center, a place where students learn from the land, the history and the stories preserved there. Minimal staff and volunteers upheld that vision for decades. Under Gibson’s leadership, the farm has entered a new era of innovation, collaboration and community engagement.