Christian Johansson has a longstanding history of active civic engagement in Baltimore and Maryland. Currently the Chairman, CSO, and co-owner of Stella May Contracting, a Mid-Atlantic based heavy civil and critical infrastructure contractors in the region, he previously held a variety of leadership roles at Laureate Education including Head of Strategic Partnerships for Laureate Online and President of Laureate Partners. He brings to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) 25 years of demonstrated experience in large public and private companies, government, and not-for-profit organizations.
Christian first became acquainted with the BSO through musician friends when he moved back to Baltimore in 2003 to lead the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore (merged with the Greater Baltimore Committee in 2022). While serving as Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) under Governor Martin O’Malley (2009 – 2013), arts and culture was an active part of his mandate. As a result, he gathered great appreciation for the critical role and impact of the BSO on the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland.
A member of the BSO Board since 2017, Christian has been an active leader in governance and long-term strategic planning. He co-represented the Board on the 2019–20 State Workgroup on the BSO, a state-led initiative chaired by former Senator Ed Kasemeyer that helped chart the roadmap for the BSO’s 2020–25 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and ongoing artistic and community growth. He has also served as Chair of the Governance Committee, Board Vice Chair, and a member of both the Executive and Vision Committees as well as special task forces, including the President & CEO Search Committee (2022).
Christian earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown University and received his MBA from Harvard University. He has served as an advisor to then President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team, and as a member of Senator Obama’s Executive Committee for Urban and Metropolitan Policy. He has been recognized as an Innovator of the Year by The Maryland Daily Record, as a Special Advocate at the Top 100 MBE Awards, and received the “Robert A. Spar Hall of Fame Award” from the Maryland Incubator Company of the Year in recognition for his efforts to conceive, develop, and implement the InvestMaryland program.
In addition to serving on the BSO Board, Christian previously served on the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Advisory Board and currently serves as Co-Chair of Preakness Festival. Christian, together with his wife Lacey, are proud patrons of the BSO and active champions of the BSO OrchKids Program.
Christian Johansson has a longstanding history of active civic engagement in Baltimore and Maryland. Currently the Chairman, CSO, and co-owner of Stella May Contracting, a Mid-Atlantic based heavy civil and critical infrastructure contractors in the region, he previously held a variety of leadership roles at Laureate Education including Head of Strategic Partnerships for Laureate Online and President of Laureate Partners. He brings to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) 25 years of demonstrated experience in large public and private companies, government, and not-for-profit organizations.
Christian first became acquainted with the BSO through musician friends when he moved back to Baltimore in 2003 to lead the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore (merged with the Greater Baltimore Committee in 2022). While serving as Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) under Governor Martin O’Malley (2009 – 2013), arts and culture was an active part of his mandate. As a result, he gathered great appreciation for the critical role and impact of the BSO on the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland.
A member of the BSO Board since 2017, Christian has been an active leader in governance and long-term strategic planning. He co-represented the Board on the 2019–20 State Workgroup on the BSO, a state-led initiative chaired by former Senator Ed Kasemeyer that helped chart the roadmap for the BSO’s 2020–25 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and ongoing artistic and community growth. He has also served as Chair of the Governance Committee, Board Vice Chair, and a member of both the Executive and Vision Committees as well as special task forces, including the President & CEO Search Committee (2022).
Christian earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown University and received his MBA from Harvard University. He has served as an advisor to then President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team, and as a member of Senator Obama’s Executive Committee for Urban and Metropolitan Policy. He has been recognized as an Innovator of the Year by The Maryland Daily Record, as a Special Advocate at the Top 100 MBE Awards, and received the “Robert A. Spar Hall of Fame Award” from the Maryland Incubator Company of the Year in recognition for his efforts to conceive, develop, and implement the InvestMaryland program.
In addition to serving on the BSO Board, Christian previously served on the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Advisory Board and currently serves as Co-Chair of Preakness Festival. Christian, together with his wife Lacey, are proud patrons of the BSO and active champions of the BSO OrchKids Program.
