Movers and shakers: Keir Johnson, Minn. Masonic Charities

A look at the people behind the numbers in area business:

Title: Director, Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center

Age: 55

Keir Johnson's lifelong interest in history and philosophy and his professional experience in venue management have aligned in his new role as director of the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center in Bloomington.

Johnson will manage the center, which will include a 425-seat auditorium and a Masonic museum, library, conference rooms and dining facility, set to open in early 2016. Construction began last month.

The museum will introduce Freemasonry concepts and the fraternal organization's role throughout history, said Johnson, a member of the Masonic Fraternity. The auditorium will be available for rent while Johnson plans to program concerts, summer theater camps and school field trips.

Johnson, who has a law degree from the University of Minnesota law school, practiced law for several years in private practice and worked as a trust adviser before transitioning to venue management, leading development and construction of the Zeitgeist Arts Center in Duluth for the A.H. Zeppa Family Foundation.

Johnson most recently was assistant auditorium director and senior development specialist for a 1,350-seat auditorium on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus. Before that he was a major gift and planned giving officer for Bemidji State University.

Minnesota Masonic Charities, the nonprofit organization of Minnesota Masonry, supports health care, medical research and education with charitable grants averaging nearly $5.6 million a year.

Q: What do you want to convey to the public about Masonry through the museum?

A: We'll talk about the ancient history, the old trade unions and guilds of the medieval times. We'll talk about how it became a mass movement in this country between the middle 1700s and the Civil War. We will have a section that talks honestly about some of the myths and scary stories that go around. So we'll talk about when the facts get in the way of a good story and what the reality is.

Q: What is your role during construction of the center?

A: I'll be helping with some design work, looking especially at the auditorium and the museum from a how-they-will-be-used standpoint. We're designing materials that will be used in the museum to be more of an interpretive center.

Q: What will your responsibilities be once the center opens?

A: It will be a marketing and administrative and management role at that point. I will make sure that we're being prudent with the use of foundation dollars and that we're running it in a businesslike way with the rentals. We're going to have a pretty large meeting space that I'm going to be marketing to potential renters to have business meetings in.

Todd Nelson