Mitzi Johnson

Johnson was born in Clifton Park, New York, on November 18, 1970.[2] She 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 Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.[3]

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] She was 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]

In 2000, Johnson was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the Vermont House of Representatives.[3] In 2002, she was elected to the House and has been re-elected 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 was on the Appropriations Committee;[2] from 2015 to 2017 she was the committee's chairwoman.[4]

In the November 3, 2020, general election, unofficial reported totals showed Johnson losing her seat in the two-member Grand Isle-Chittenden district, with the Republican incumbent Leland Morgan winning 2,768 votes, his nephew and fellow Republican Michael Morgan winning 2,619 votes, and Johnson trailing with 2,601. Johnson requested a recount, which affirmed Michael Morgan's victory by a 20 vote (2,627 - 2,601) margin.[5]

Speaker of the House Shap Smith did not run for re-election to his House seat in 2016, and ran instead for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.[4][6][7] In November 2016, Johnson was a candidate to succeed Smith as Speaker, as were Sarah Copeland-Hanzas and Charles "Chip" Conquest.[7] Johnson and Copeland-Hanzas became the front runners and, 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.[8] 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 the Republican Linda Myers of Essex.[6]

• List of female speakers of legislatures in the United States

• "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.