Leadership & Board

Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson joined Aeon as President & CEO in February 2022. He brings extensive academic and professional experience to Aeon. He holds a PhD in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware. He is an alumnus of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate. He also holds an MBA from the University of Tennessee. Most recently, he served as Chief of Economic Development, Housing and Neighborhood Services at the City of Dallas, where he led efforts to create a $100 million fund to support affordable housing, and adoption of the City’s comprehensive economic development policy.

Johnson was born and raised in New Orleans and has worked in urban development in cities across the country. He is not new to Minnesota. Johnson earned a Master of Public Administration from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1996. From 2018 -2020, he was Community Development Director at the City of Bloomington. There he led the creation of the City’s opportunity housing ordinance and Bloomington’s $15 million affordable housing trust fund. Its first investment was in Blooming Meadows South, a property Aeon acquired to preserve 306 affordable homes.

Caroline joined Aeon in 1998, where she oversees Aeon’s finance and accounting functions and for 15 years, was also responsible for asset management. In her role, Caroline has been instrumental in managing Aeon’s past and continued growth and building its financial position.

Caroline is also an active leader in the nonprofit affordable housing industry. Since 2007, Caroline has been a member of the STRENGTH MATTERSTM CFO Working Group which has developed a series of white papers on external reporting best practices for the nonprofit affordable housing industry. She is on the board of directors of NeighborWorks Capital, a lender to the NeighborWorks network. Caroline also presents on a variety of conference panels, using her skills and knowledge wherever she can to improve not just the work of Aeon, but to all organizations in the industry. Caroline earned her BSBA in accounting from Boston University School of Management. She was recognized as one of the Top Women in Finance by Finance & Commerce, and in 2021 she received the CFO of the Year Award from Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Laura joined Aeon in February 2023 and currently oversees Housing Development, Property Operations and Asset Management in her role as Chief Real Estate Officer. Laura has an extensive background in multifamily operations including asset management, property management and real estate development for private and nonprofit owners. She combines her detailed knowledge of field operations with systems thinking, technology application, and innovative implementation.  Previously, Laura led Asset Management functions at Thies & Talle Management, a Minneapolis-based multifamily owner/operator. During her fifteen year tenure there, she served in Operations roles where she refocused policies and systems around a resident-centric approach. She also served in technology and systems roles while at WinnResidential, one of the nation’s largest housing managers, where she led the Business Process Group. Throughout her career, she has consulted with numerous housing providers through Viva Consulting. Laura cares deeply about serving residents and expanding housing opportunities. She has tremendous respect for housing management professionals, the overlooked heroes of the housing world. Laura has her B.A. from the University of Chicago and her Master’s Degree in Housing, Community and Economic Development from MIT. She is a Minnesota Multihousing Board member, licensed MN Broker, and frequent contributor to housing policy discussions.

Tyler joined Aeon in 2022 and currently oversees Resident Services, Communications, Resource Development, and Aeon’s policy work. His focus at Aeon is to leverage internal and external partnerships to improve the resident experience and promote resident stability. A new arrival to Minnesota, Tyler was most recently at Housing Solutions in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While in Tulsa he was awarded a key to the city for his efforts focused on important community-based work with people living without shelter. Tyler also has experience working in advocacy and public policy and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science.