Erik Johanson fell hard for the Catskills and after more than a decade of living in New York City, dreaming about a place in the country, he decided to make the leap to full-time life. As Catskills native and acclaimed writer John Burroughs writes, "Truly, man made the city, and after he became sufficiently civilized, not afraid of solitude, and knew on what terms to live with nature, God promoted him to life in the country," something Erik couldn't agree with more. Since making the move to the mountains, Erik has worked to foster and protect the region, connecting with the community and showing his friends and family from downstate how they too can make the Catskill dream a reality.

Prior to joining the Catskill Dream Team, Erik led Advocacy and Outreach for the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development. There he led initiatives to secure historic levels of funding for the Catskills from Governor Cuomo's administration to both promote and protect the region, which led to the development of international marketing campaigns for "Visit the Catskills", expanding opportunities and infrastructure for recreation, all the while protecting the region from challenges like invasive species. He also worked to successfully list one of the earliest movie theaters in the country, right on Main St. Fleischmanns, on the state and national registers of historic places.
Before the move to the Catskills, Erik worked supporting groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council, helped drive sustainability initiatives for a major family-owned NYC-based hotel group and worked for a number of arts organizations.

Erik looks forward to sharing his love for the region with "flatlanders", helping them establish deep roots in his beloved community.