Rick Johnston,Financial Consultant

Even before his marriage to Melissa, Rick Johnston has long been a patron of the arts. For five years he owned the “The Bulls” jazz nightclub in Chicago, featuring up and coming jazz recording artists. He was also an investment banker for 15 years specializing in real estate finance. Upon the birth of their daughters Olivia and Sophia in 2000, he started his own company (So-Oli, Inc.) to develop and purchase residential rental housing. So-Oli, Inc. now owns 882 residential units in three states. Mr. Johnston has been involved with Thodos Dance Chicago since its inception, having created the organizational structure and recruited the original board of directors. Mr. Johnston has a B.A. from Davidson College and an M.B.A. with honors from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. Mr. Johnston works part time in a volunteer capacity on grants and bookings for Thodos Dance Chicago, and has been responsible for over 100 performances on tour in 25 states. He is also an avid tennis player, and was recently ranked nationally in his age group.