Marie Johns
Deputy Administrator of the US Small Business Administration
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.
