Bill Johnston '61 on Career and Retirement
When the Bradenton, Fla., Herald decided to run profiles of retired executives of U.S. companies who now live in the Bradenton and Sarasota area, the paper chose Washington and Lee alumnus Bill Johnston, of the Class of 1961, as the first subject.
The result is a Q&A with Bill on his tenure from 1996 to 2001 as president and chief operating officer of the New York Stock Exchange, as well as his volunteer roles in the Brandenton/Sarasota area where, among other things, he serves on the board of trustees of the New College of Florida.
In describing how he got involved in the financial industry in the first place, Bill told the Herald that because his father was in the financial business, “the conversations around the dinner table when I was a child were stocks and bonds.”
A trustee emeritus at W&L, Bill also told the Herald about his post-retirement plans: “My wife and I made a conscious decision when I retired, it was time to give back. I definitely enjoy that. The reason I love it so much is because young people keep people my age young. They challenge us.”
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