Katherine B. Johnson (born March 26, 1981) served as the

personal secretary ''Personal Secretary'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Otis Garrett and written by Betty Laidlaw, Robert Lively and Charles Grayson. The film stars William Gargan, Joy Hodges, Andy Devine, Ruth Donnelly, Samuel S. Hinds and Fran ...

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

from 2009 to 2011.

Personal life

Johnson grew up in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, and moved with her parents to Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1999 before entering Wellesley College. She is the oldest of three children of Dr. Bruce E. Johnson, head of

thoracic The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the crea ...

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''� ...

Dana–Farber Cancer Institute Dana–Farber Cancer Institute is a comprehensive cancer treatment and research institution in Boston, Massachusetts. Dana–Farber is the founding member of Dana–Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Harvard's Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by ...

, and Georgia M. Johnson, a management consultant and an elected Town Meeting member in Brookline. Johnson graduated from Wellesley College in 2003 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. Prior to her post as personal secretary to the president, Johnson was

Rahm Emanuel Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician and diplomat who is the current United States Ambassador to Japan. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served two terms as the 55th Mayor of Chicago from 2011 ...

's special assistant for two years when he led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and also served as Barack Obama campaign manager

David Plouffe David Plouffe (; born May 27, 1967) is an American political and business strategist best known as the campaign manager for Barack Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign. A long-time Democratic Party campaign consultant, he was a partn ...

's assistant. Johnson was one of several junior staffers who left the White House in 2011 to attend Harvard Law School. Her last day as secretary was June 10, 2011.

Post-secretarial career

Johnson returned to the White House as a Counselor in the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

. She is currently a partner in the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

office of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

-based law firm

Jenner & Block Jenner & Block is an American law firm with offices in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. The firm is active in corporate litigation, business transactions, the public sector, and other legal fields ...

Gallery

File:Barack Obama, Eugene Kang, Katie Johnson and Reggie Love in the Oval Office.jpg, President Barack Obama jokes with Special Assistant

Eugene Kang Eugene Kang (born 1984) was the Special Projects Coordinator and Confidential Assistant to President Barack Obama. Eugene Kang is an Ann Arbor native who attended Greenhills School before enrolling at the University of Michigan. At Michigan, Ka ...

, Personal Secretary Katie Johnson and Personal Aide

Reggie Love Reginald L. Love (born April 29, 1981) is an American personal aide, former college basketball player, and media editor. Love served as the special assistant and personal aide, commonly referred to as body man, to U.S. President Barack Obama.

in the Oval Office. File:President Barack Obama listens to Senior Advisor David Axelrod in the outer Oval Office on June 26, 2009.jpg, President Barack Obama listens to Senior Advisor David Axelrod in the outer Oval Office on June 26, 2009. At left is Personal Secretary Katie Johnson. File:Barack_Obama_playing_football_in_secretary's_office.jpg, President Barack Obama tosses a football with Trip Director Marvin Nicholson in the outer Oval Office on June 26, 2009. Personal Secretary Katie Johnson watches from her desk. File:President Barack Obama bids farewell to Katie Johnson on her last day at the White House, June 10, 2011.jpg, President Barack Obama bids farewell to Personal Secretary Katie Johnson on her last day at the White House, June 10, 2011

References

External links

Mass. 20-something gets White House gig
Brian C. Mooney, ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', January 13, 2009
From Wellesley to organizer in chief
Brian C. Mooney, ''

'', January 14, 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Katie 1981 births Harvard Law School alumni Living people Massachusetts Democrats People from Bethesda, Maryland People from Brookline, Massachusetts Personal secretaries to the President of the United States Obama administration personnel Wellesley College alumni