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Chapter Message — Jenni Wilson, LMFT
Mike Johnsen: Man of Mystery
I’ve come here today to say goodbye to our friend Mike Johnsen – Man of Mystery – Webmaster Mike, who passed away on July 11th, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.
Many folx have seen me with a mic in my hand loudly asking them to give it up to “Webmaster Mike!” at various LA-CAMFT events and gatherings over the years. This mythical creature, Webmaster Mike, seemed to be an elusive connection that only those in-the-know and with special clearance could access.
As legend goes, Mike was introduced to LA-CAMFT by Jonathan Flier about 10 years ago, and a couple of years later was hired to be our webmaster during Randi Gottlieb’s presidency. After that, to streamline processes, few LA-CAMFT leaders were permitted direct access to Mike – it was a privilege few were trusted with. In December 2020, as I prepared to take on the presidency myself in 2021, the gods shined down on me and I was, at last, permitted access to the legendary Webmaster Mike.
In our first conversation, Mike talked about growing up in the analogue world. He told me he had attended Janis Joplin’s first performance with Big Brother at the Avalon Ballroom on Catalina in 1966, and he saw Jimi Hendrix there, too, in 1968. He spoke of having what he called a “tech awakening” in the early ‘80s, wanting to know “how to make things work”. He noted that when he saw his peers struggling with the transition he didn’t want to get left behind. “It was worse then, than it is now”, he said.
Now, this newsletter is called “Voices” and that’s pretty much all I knew of Mike’s physical presence – his voice. He lived in a suburb of Seattle, so we corresponded by emails, texts, phone calls, and the occasional videochat – we never met in person. I can’t tell you how tall he was, or how he moved outside of a Zoom room; I can’t say if he smelled like soap or cigarettes. I can’t confidently tell you the color of his eyes beyond what I think they are from his contact avatar. Okay, I can’t tell you a lot of things – but I can tell you Mike loved and proudly looked after our chapter.
Mike credited LA-CAMFT with introducing him to the other CAMFT chapters he worked with as their IT/Web manager. He told me once that our chapter was the “most satisfying” and at times he would push other work aside to help us out (*blushes* sorry other chapters). I’ve wondered if he used flattery like that with all his clients, and hope that he did. I hope everyone he worked with felt as special to him as he made us feel. I do believe they did.
Mike was quick to express appreciation for those LA-CAMFT leaders who he believed put in a lot of heart, creativity, and time for LA-CAMFT. He was not an effusive person, but he could not say enough wonderful things about Lynne Azpeitia and Elizabeth Sterbenz, who often acted as representatives for him to the larger group when needed. He always talked about how much he loved working with the Diversity Committee, once gushing about how wonderful it was collaborating with Tina Cacho Sakai and Marvin Whistler. More recently, he shared how impressed he was with TOC Mentorship Chair and Board Member at Large Keonna Robinson and everything she was building. Mike also spoke highly of Communications Chair Lexi Berard and Membership Chair Annyce Torres, who just came on board this year and had to absorb a lot of information quickly. And as much as he cherished any of us, he cherished Gina Balit more, who worked the most closely with him for the longest amount of time and was his co-administrator.
Admittedly, I am probably not the best person to talk about Mike. Others in LA-CAMFT leadership knew him longer, and no doubt knew him better, but here I am rooted in my imposter syndrome, hoping to share a little bit of Mike with all of you.
I do believe Mike deeply valued his connection with me, too – and I valued mine with him. After my presidency, I never stopped liaising between board members and Mike, helping Mike onboard folx where and when needed. We corresponded often, exchanging stories about our lives and the things we were working on. He and I were both writers and we shared a painful understanding as sometimes suffering, but always recovering, perfectionists.
Mike’s drive for perfection was foundational to who he was. He was down-to-earth and did not suffer fools. He described himself to me as “a criticizer,” but in my experience with Mike, he continually demonstrated a flexibility and a willingness to tolerate the discomfort of new voices even when he pushed against change with his criticism. He was harder on himself than anyone else.
Regardless, I perceived Mike’s frustrations not as criticisms, but as reflections of how much he cared and protections against his fear that he would not be able to adapt and deliver – although he always did. Mike was an example of how the wise bamboo can bend. Mike was a wise bamboo.
And now LA-CAMFT leadership is being challenged to stay flexible navigating a Mike-less world. Now we are challenged to become more like wise bamboo, and bend to the reality that Mike is gone.
LA-CAMFT is grateful for Mike Johnsen’s many years of support, as our only employee and as the most actively consistent member of the team for almost ten years.
We will miss you, Webmaster Mike, man of mystery.
Paz y Amor, mi amigo. (*mic drop*)
Jenni J.V. Wilson, LMFT is a collaborative conversationalist, trained in narrative therapy and EMDR. She works with creative and anxious clients on improving, avoiding, and eliminating co-dependent and toxic relationships, while finding healthy ways to be unapologetically themselves. She is the primary therapist at Conclusions Treatment Center IOP in Mission Hills, and has a private practice in Sherman Oaks.
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