William Douglas Johnson - Obituary

oug Johnson, who was one of the nation’s leading—and most frequently quoted—experts on banking and cybersecurity, died peacefully on October 12 from complications due to pancreatic cancer. He was Senior Vice President of Payments and Cybersecurity at the American Bankers Association, where he was involved in a variety of public policy and compliance issues and led the ABA’s enterprise risk, physical and cybersecurity, business continuity and resiliency policy and fraud deterrence efforts. During his forty-year career in financial services, the last 18 with the ABA, he became “one of the most quoted experts on a wide range of bank security and risk management topics, in particular cybersecurity,” the ABA said. “In the fall of 2015, Doug told me he was giving more than 200 interviews a year—a staggering number,” his sister Claudia Johnson said. “Not to mention a tireless traveling schedule to give presentations in person, even after his cancer diagnosis. But he loved doing it and was very good at it because he was such a great people person with a great sense of humor and always so positive, even in the face of adversity—an eternal optimist to the last.” Since 2015, Doug was interviewed “for nearly 350 articles and broadcast stories,” according to the ABA. “I was cleaning my kitchen in St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, with NPR on but not really paying attention,” his sister Pat Sellergren said, “until and I heard this deep, clear voice that sounded very familiar. And I knew immediately it was Doug who was being interviewed—so articulate and insightful and a wonderful voice for radio.” “Doug was invaluable to ABA and to our industry,” said ABA President and CEO Rob Nichols. “There was no one who more effectively or effortlessly helped the public understand how banks keep customers’ money safe. The industry has lost a dedicated leader and communicator, and we at ABA have lost a generous colleague and a good friend.” Doug’s last interview was with the Wall Street Journal a few days before he died. Before joining the ABA, Doug was Assistant Director of Florida’s Division of Banking for 10 years, and during that time earned an MBA in finance from the Florida State University. After earning his BA in economics from the University of Florida, he worked for Royal Trust Bank Group in Miami as a bank consultation for First Research Corporation. He loved travel, boating, hiking, and sports, especially baseball—a Baltimore Oriole fan (he was born in Baltimore), but also Gator basketball and football, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Washington Redskins. He is survived, greatly missed, and dearly loved by his wife, Lisa; his daughter, Nikki; his sisters Claudia Johnson and Pat Sellergren; his nephew, Ross Loomis; his nieces Anne Loomis Thompson, Katie, Margaret, and Jordan Sellergren, and his cousin Carol Loman. Friends are invited to celebrate Doug's life on Friday, October 20, 2017 starting at 10:30 am until a service begins at 11 am at the George P. Kalas Funeral Home, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD