Craig Johnson '12 graduated cum laude from Lyndon State College with a bachelor of science in Atmospheric Sciences in 2012. During his time as a student-athlete at Lyndon, his strong commitment in the classroom earned him numerous academic awards, including the Atmospheric Sciences Department Academic Achievement Award and the Gil Ford Award for Meteorology, both of which he shares with his college sweetheart, and now wife, Laura Lenfest '12. He was also elected by faculty and fellow graduates to the Arthur B. Elliott Honor Society and was inducted into the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society and the Beta Alpha Chapter of the Sigma Zeta National Science and Mathematics Honors Society. In addition to his academic awards, Craig was the vice president of Lyndon's Chapter of the American Meteorological and National Weather Association and served as a student ambassador and a Peer Net advisor to mentor first-year students in the Atmospheric Sciences Department.
Craig ran cross country, under Chris Ummer's leadership, all four years in college. During those years, his commitment to leaving it all out on the course resulted in numerous athletic honors. In his freshman year, he led the cross country team to Lyndon State's first North Atlantic Conference (NAC) team title. In leading that team, Craig became the first-ever male student athlete at Lyndon to win an individual NAC title. He also earned NAC Rookie and Runner of the Year honors. While he did not win the NAC title again, he did succeed in earning NAC All-Conference honors all four years and was a key member of teams that delivered three consecutive NAC Conference Championships. In addition, Craig's hard work in the classroom earned him NAC All-Academic Team honors in 2011. He was also a member of two teams that earned U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division III All-Academic honors. Finally, his commitment to excellence as a student-athlete was recognized during his senior year when he was awarded the inaugural NAC Man-of-the-Year Award.
Former Coach Chris Ummer, shares "Craig, more than anything, was an excellent leader and epitomized the term student-athlete. He held his work ethic, both athletically and academically, to a high standard and expected that from his teammates."
After graduating from Lyndon, Craig continued his academic career by earning his master of science in climate science and policy from the Bard Center for Environmental Policy at Bard College in 2014. In his professional career, he works as a consultant with Optimal Energy Inc., providing consulting services for some of the nation's leaders in energy efficiency.
Craig lives in Warwick, R.I., with his wife Laura. He is excited and extremely humbled to be returning to Lyndon to receive the honor of being inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame.
