2024 Women MAKE Awards Chair

Denise Johnson
Group President, Resource Industries
Caterpillar Inc.

Denise C. Johnson is a group president of Caterpillar Inc. She has responsibility for Resource Industries (RI), which includes Integrated Components and Solutions Division, RI Operations and Products Division, RI Sales, Services and Technology Division, and Strategic Procurement and Planning Division.
Johnson joined Caterpillar in 2011 and previously had a career with General Motors, where she built deep expertise in operations and product management. In 2012, the Caterpillar Board of Directors named Johnson vice president and she was named group president of Resource Industries in April of 2016.

Johnson, a native of Portland, Michigan, graduated from Michigan State University in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. She earned dual master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1997 as a Fellow of the MIT Leaders for Global Operations program.

Johnson is a member of numerous outside boards, including National Mining Association Board of Directors, National Association of Manufacturers, ABB Ltd, MIT Leaders for Global Operations Governing Board, and the US Chamber of Commerce. She is also a board member of the Caterpillar Foundation and a board member for the company’s Women’s Initiative Network employee resource group.