Inside the Office of Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.): Sharon Johnson

Sharon Johnson

Title: Deputy chief of staff

Age: You are not supposed to ask a woman that … but I am proud to say 47 going on 30.

Hometown: Louisville, Miss.

Education: B.S. in accounting from Jackson State University

Last job: Deputy chief of staff for former Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.)

Best thing about being deputy chief of staff: Congressman Harper is such a genuine, caring person, and he has such a great team. Everyone on our staff is actually a resident of Congressman Harper’s district in Mississippi and they are all so dedicated and talented. I love flexing my muscles with the staff (not really) and being able to give my two cents’ worth on issues and situations important to the congressman.

Management style: My style is to have fun while at the same time being productive and professional in taking care of the congressman and our constituents. I don’t ask our staff to do anything that I wouldn’t want to do myself.

Top priorities: Making sure that we stay within budget, that the team has what they need to serve the congressman and our state, and to make sure we don’t violate ethics.

Most embarrassing moment on Capitol Hill: When Rep. Sonny Montgomery (D-Miss.) decided that he was going to retire in 1996, he swore us all to secrecy months prior. About an hour before he was to announce his retirement, former President George H.W. Bush called for Sonny. They had served as freshman congressmen together and were very best friends. Thinking that Sonny had told his best friend, I proceeded to tell the president that he was making the big announcement. President Bush asked me what announcement, and I said, “You know what announcement.” He was like, “Really, I don’t know.” So I told him.

Interests outside of work:  I love being a mom to my 6-year-old, who keeps me busy with his interest in sports. He is currently finishing up soccer and starting baseball. I absolutely love all kinds of music, shopping and watching movies with my husband and son.

Sharon Johnson has been a public servant for a long time — how long, she won’t say. But she does reveal that when she became the first black deputy district clerk in her hometown of Louisville, Miss., computers weren’t around yet.

Johnson, now Rep. Gregg Harper’s (R-Miss.) deputy chief of staff, credits her grandmothers for landing her that groundbreaking position.

“My paternal grandmother was a janitor at City Hall. My maternal grandmother was a janitor for the courthouse,” Johnson explains. “So they really rallied for me to get that job.”

While working as deputy district clerk, Johnson got to know an aide for then-Rep. Sonny Montgomery (D-Miss.), Louisville’s congressional representative. When she told the staffer that she was getting married and moving to Maryland, he took her résumé to Washington. Shortly thereafter, Johnson started work as a staff assistant in Montgomery’s office. She’s been in the Capitol ever since.

Through three congressmen and numerous staff positions, Johnson has served the 3rd congressional district of Mississippi for more than 20 years.

“I’ve been around,” she says with grin. “It’s been an experience.”

To have your office featured on Inside the Office of…, contact Kris Kitto at 202-628-8539 or kkitto@digital-staging.thehill.com.