Jeff Johnson Retires from Tyndale House Publishers after 37 Years

CAROL STREAM, Ill. – Tyndale House Publishers (@tyndalehouse) has announced that Jeff Johnson, Chief Administration Officer, retired on September 29, after 37 years at the company. “Jeff Johnson has been instrumental in guiding Tyndale House Publishers and the greater Christian publishing industry during his many years of executive leadership,” said Scott Mathews, CEO of Tyndale House, “We are grateful for his contributions over the years and for all his efforts in furthering the mission of Tyndale House Ministries. He will be missed.” Johnson will continue to serve on the board of Tyndale House Foundation.

Jeff Johnson began his career at Tyndale as a stock runner in 1986. Johnson became Tyndale’s director of human resources and administrative services in 1988 where he oversaw three major building projects and coordinated the initiation of the 401(k) plan to replace the pension plan model for employees. In 1998, he was promoted to vice president of publishing services, and in 2004 was named chief operating officer. In 2016, Johnson was promoted to the role of president and chief operating officer.

During his tenure at Tyndale, Johnson played a vital role in shepherding initiatives that helped expand Tyndale’s catalog and contributed to the financial and ministry success of the company. It was his vision to create Tyndale Español in 2005 and to acquire Hendrickson Publishing Group in 2021. Johnson also recognized the potential for the page-recognition technology behind Tyndale’s Filament-enabled Bible, which earned a patent from US Patent and Trademark Office in 2021. Additionally, he helped lead a cross-departmental, company-wide effort to bring the product to market, and it continues to be one of Tyndale’s leading Bible lines today. Johnson’s vision also included the development of Tyndale’s e-commerce websites and the internal publication management system that manages the company’s daily operations.

In addition to his work at Tyndale, Johnson brought his expertise and experience to the ECPA board of directors for many years, serving as vice-chair and providing counsel and direction to this important Christian publishing consortium. “Jeff has always had a heart for service,” notes Sharon Heggeland, COO of Tyndale House. “He has always been mindful of Tyndale’s mission legacy, encouraging all of us at THM to serve one another.”

“My focus as a leader at Tyndale has always been on completing the Great Commission,” offered Johnson. “It is my hope that all publishers will honor the call to supply products and support authors and organizations that help fulfill this command from our Lord and Savior.”