Mitzi Johnson
Mitzi Johnson | |
---|---|
93rd Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives | |
Assumed office January 4, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Shap Smith |
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Grand Isle-Chittenden-1 district | |
Assumed office January 9, 2003 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Clifton Park, New York, U.S. | November 18, 1970
Political party | Democratic |
Education | University of Vermont (BS) Harvard University (MPA) |
Mitzi Johnson (born November 18, 1970) is a Democratic Vermont politician who has served as the Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives since January 2017. She represents the Grand Isle-Chittenden (GI-CHI) district (seat number 1).[1]
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Early life[edit]
Mitzi Johnson was born in Clifton Park, New York on November 18, 1970.[2] She was educated in the Shenendehowa Central School District, including Shenendehowa High School, and graduated from the University of Vermont in 1993 with a degree in environmental science and international development.[2][3] In 2013, she completed a master of public administration degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.[3]
Career[edit]
After graduating from college, Johnson became a resident of South Hero.[2] As a public policy professional, her experience includes program and project development for Hunger Free Vermont and the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force.[2] She was also a vegetable grower at South Hero's Allenholm Farm.[2] In addition, she has worked as a substitute teacher, piano teacher, and scarf designer.[2]
Johnson was active in South Hero as a volunteer with South Hero Rescue, which provides fire fighting and emergency medical response in Grand Isle County.[2] In addition, she has served on the board of directors of the Chittenden-Grand Isle County Visiting Nurse Association (2006-2012) and the South Hero Land Trust (1995-2008).[2] From 2002 to 2006, she was a member of the advisory board for the University of Vermont's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.[2] In 2012, she was elected to the Vermont Electric Cooperative's board of directors.[2]
Vermont House of Representatives[edit]
In 2000, Johnson was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the Vermont House of Representatives.[3] In 2002, she was elected to the House; she has been reelected every two years since then.[2] From 2003 to 2007 she was a member of the House Agriculture Committee.[2] From 2007 to 2017 she served on the Appropriations Committee;[2] from 2015 to 2017 she was the committee's chairwoman.[4]
Speaker of the House[edit]
Speaker of the House Shap Smith did not run for reelection to his House seat in 2016, and ran instead for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.[4][5][6] In November 2016, Johnson was a candidate to succeed Smith as Speaker, as were Sarah Copeland-Hanzas and Charles "Chip" Conquest.[6] Johnson and Copeland-Hanzas became the front runners; by late November, Copeland-Hanzas concluded that Johnson's support among Democratic members of the House was enough to win a contested vote, so she withdrew.[7] In a December 2016 meeting of the Vermont House's Democratic caucus, Copeland-Hanzas nominated Johnson for Speaker, and Johnson was unanimously selected as the Democratic candidate for the position.[4] In the full House's January 2017 election for Speaker, Johnson defeated Republican Linda Myers of Essex.[5]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Representative Mitzi Johnson". legislature.vermont.gov. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Member Biography, Representative Mitzi Johnson".
- ^ a b c "Taking Matters into Her Own Hands".
- ^ a b c "House Democrats Formally Nominate Johnson for Speaker".
- ^ a b "New House Speaker Mitzi Johnson Shifts Committee Jurisdiction".
- ^ a b "Three Campaign to Become Speaker of Vermont House".
- ^ "Copeland-Hanzas Steps Aside".
External links[edit]
- "GI-CHI" district legislative map
- "Member Biography, Representative Mitzi Johnson". Vermont House of Representatives. Montpelier, VT: Vermont General Assembly. 2015.
- Megias, Mari (December 16, 2014). "Taking Matters into Her Own Hands: Mitzi Johnson MC/MPA 2013". HKS Alumni News. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
- Mansfield, Erin (November 20, 2016). "Three Campaign to Become Speaker of Vermont House". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
- Hirschfeld, Peter; Kinzel, Bob (November 28, 2016). "As Copeland-Hanzas Steps Aside, Mitzi Johnson Poised To Become Vermont's Next Speaker". Vermont Public Radio. Colchester, VT.
- Mansfield, Erin (December 4, 2016). "House Democrats Formally Nominate Johnson for Speaker". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
- Hallenbeck, Terri (January 4, 2017). "New House Speaker Mitzi Johnson Shifts Committee Jurisdiction". Seven Days. Burlington, VT.
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Shap Smith |
Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives 2017–present |
Incumbent |
- 1970 births
- 21st-century American politicians
- 21st-century American women politicians
- Candidates in the 2000 United States elections
- John F. Kennedy School of Government alumni
- Living people
- Members of the Vermont House of Representatives
- People from Clifton Park, New York
- People from South Hero, Vermont
- Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives
- University of Vermont alumni
- Vermont Democrats
- Women legislative speakers
- Women state legislators in Vermont