Marie Johns is Deputy Administrator of the US Small Business Administration, where she contributes to management of the agency and development of SBA policy. Johns was nominated by President Obama on December 17th, 2009 and confirmed by unanimous consent in the Senate on June 22nd, 2010.
Prior to becoming Deputy Administrator, Johns was the Managing Member of L&L Consulting, LLC, an organizational effectiveness and public policy consulting practice. Previously, she served as President of Verizon Washington, where she was responsible for nearly 2000 employees and more than 800,000 customers, including many small businesses. Johns worked to develop products and services to meet the needs of Verizon’s small business customers, and worked closely with Verizon’s vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors, some of whom were SBA borrowers. She retired from Verizon in 2004 after 21 years of service in the telecommunications industry.
Johns has a long record of business and civic leadership. She is the founder of the Washington DC Technology Council, former chair of Leadership Greater Washington, and a member of the board of the Girl Scouts USA. Johns served for 10 years as a trustee at Howard University, where she chaired the Academic Excellence Committee. Johns also served as the founding chair of the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science. As chair of the DC Chamber of Commerce, as well as chair of its Small Business Committee, Johns helped small businesses get technical assistance and mentoring from larger area firms, and helped create a Visitors Center to encourage tourists to explore more of Washington’s many vibrant neighborhoods and visit local small businesses.
While at Verizon Washington, Johns created the Students Educated for Economic Development Success program (SEEDS). SEEDS prepared over 200 high school dropouts for entry-level positions in the telecommunications industry, many of whom were hired by small local firms.
Johns earned her BS and MPA degrees from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Trinity University in Washington, D.C. She is the recipient of many awards in recognition of her business and civic leadership. Among her honors, Johns was recognized as a "Leader of the Years" by the Greater Washington Board of Trade, one the of "25 Most Influential Black Women in Business" by the Network Journal and one of the "100 Most Powerful Women" by Washingtonian Magazine. In 2004, Johns was inducted in the Greater Washington Business Hall of Fame.
Johns has been married for 39 years to Wendell Johns. They reside in Washington, DC, and have one son, Richard, an attorney in private practice in Washington, DC and Maryland. They are the proud grandparents of Richard Franklin II and Lauren Marie Johns.
