Today, we get to meet Melinda Johnson, executive director at the Jefferson Defrees Family Center.

From the rolling foothills of Virginia to the heart of Warren County, Melinda Johnson has led a life defined by passion, perseverance and purpose. Her path has been shaped by the values of hard work, creativity, and community service.

Melinda grew up on a dairy farm in Madison, Va., nestled in the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The eldest of five, she found joy and responsibility in farm life, particularly in caring for young calves and milking cows. Her love for dairy cattle, fostered through 4-H and local fairs, grew into a lifelong devotion. She was an International 4-H Youth Exchange to Nepal and an accomplished dairy judge, traveling across Virginia as part of both the Virginia State and Virginia Tech Dairy Judging Teams.

Her journey to Warren began through a shared passion for dairy cattle, which brought her and her future husband, Dean Johnson of Warren, together at Virginia Tech. They married and built their registered Holstein operation, Hem-View Holsteins, on Frantz Road. The Johnsons showed cattle at fairs, coached 4-H teams, and were deeply involved in the Pennsylvania Holstein Association. Johnson also pursued horseback riding, often exploring the scenic trails of Scandia on her Tennessee Walkers. For fun, her family spent time together riding their horses and traveling.

Pictured is Melinda Johnson and kids at JDFC during “Twin Day.”

“I was an International 4-H Youth Exchange to Nepal where I lived with six different host families. I was on the Virginia State 4-H Dairy Judging Team and the Virginia Tech Dairy Judging Team. For years, I was an official dairy cattle judge and traveled the state judging dairy shows.” Johnson said.

In addition to her agricultural interests, Johnson always had an eye for fashion. A seamstress, she majored in fashion merchandising and apparel design at Virginia Tech. In 1983, she launched her own fashion image business, Color Plus by Melinda Johnson. For nearly 30 years, she provided color analysis, sold cosmetics and clothing, hosted fashion shows, and helped others feel confident through personal styling.

“I did seasonal color analysis, sold cosmetics, sold clothing from trunk shows and did fashion shows, offered programs on scarf tying and accessorizing, dressing to look 10 pounds thinner, and every summer and fall worked with the state dairy princesses to help them project their best images. This career then propelled me into a position at Blair as a womenswear designer, then a menswear designer, and eventually a buyer in both menswear and womenswear .” Melinda said

Johnson and her husband raised three sons: Harrison, Marshall, and Colter. Their paths have taken them around the globe. Harrison Johnson and his wife, Beatrice, and son live in Madrid, Spain, where Harrison is the lead product manager for a start-up software company; Marshall Johnson lives in England and is the director of e-trading for Sports Direct. Colter Johnson and his wife, Paige, and their two daughters, live on the century farm, Hem-View, and are continuing the farming tradition with freezer beef, tallow products, and eggs.

Melinda Johnson is now a proud grandmother of three. Despite losing her husband to cancer in 2020, Melinda Johnson said she didn’t anticipate her next chapter when she left Blair.

Pictured is Melinda Johnson with members of Zonta.

“As they say, timing is everything,” she says, recalling how three people encouraged her to apply for the executive director position at the Jefferson Defrees Family Center the very next day. The job has since become a passion.

At Jefferson Defrees Family Center, Melinda wears many hats–budgeting, organizing programs, grant writing, managing staff, and even maintenance when needed. She thrives on making a difference. The center offers a range of community programs, including the Star 4 Childcare Center, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, FBI fingerprinting, a fitness center, room rentals, community resource directory, Fitness Center Gymnasium, CASA, and a commercial kitchen for Garden Grub.

“Being able to help people and to make a difference in the community are impactful and energizing. There are many duties, everything from fiscal responsibilities and budgeting, organizing activities, fundraisers, grant writing, managing a staff of twenty plus, to maintenance, painting, cleaning and anything else that needs done. Staying connected and networking in the community are keys to success.” Johnson said

Melinda finds daily inspiration in the laughter and honesty of the children at the center.

“Children are full of laughter and wonder; they make you smile,” she says, recounting humorous stories that brighten the halls of the center. “The JDFC is full of children which is so wonderful. Children are full of laughter and wonder; they make you smile, and some of the things they say, oh my! A two year old’s dad asked her why her shoes were on the wrong feet again. Her reply “cuz I’m tired”. One of our little four year olds was walking out with Grandma. He told Grandma he drives. She says, “you drive all by yourself?”, “yep!” was his reply. Another little boy told us “Grandma drives a big honkin truck!”. As the four year old class was waiting in the lobby for a field trip one day, one little classmate says, “it smells like two year olds down here!”

Photos submitted to the Times Observer Pictured is Melinda Johnson and kids at JDFC during “Twin Day.”

Beyond her work at Jefferson Defrees Family Center, Melinda is deeply involved in the community. A 38-year member of the Zonta Club of Warren and a Sunday School teacher at Grace United Methodist Church, she has also been a 4-H leader for nearly four decades.