When the new Congress convenes next week, Cheryl Johnson, a New Orleans native, will be incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's choice for clerk of the House of Representatives.
Pelosi announced Johnson's appointment Friday. The new Congress, with Pelosi leading a Democratic majority as Speaker of the House, takes office Jan. 3.
This is actually a return to the House for Johnson, who worked there for nearly two decades before joining the Smithsonian Institution, where she serves as Director of Government Relations.
The primary duty of the Clerk of the House is to act as the chief record-keeper for the body. The clerk's staff also oversees a vast amount of record-keeping, organizes reports to be made to and from Congress, calls members-elect to order at the commencement of each Congress, calls roll and is tasked with preserving order and decorum.
"Cheryl Johnson embodies commitment to public service,” said Pelosi. “She has dedicated her career to defending and strengthening many of the most important and cherished institutions of our democracy, and we are thrilled that she will be returning to the House of Representatives, where she served with distinction and honor for many years. Johnson’s vast experience, strong leadership and management skills and deep dedication to this body will be vital in ensuring that, as Clerk, the House has the support and tools to carry out our legislative responsibilities to the American people.”
According to Pelosi's office, Johnson’s service to the U.S. House of Representatives includes ten years as the chief education and investigative counsel for the Committee on Education and the Workforce. In that role she was involved in elementary and secondary education issues, juvenile justice, child nutrition, labor issues and older Americans’ employment and nutrition programs.
Previously, she served as staff director and counsel for the Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Libraries and Memorials and then Subcommittee on the Post Office and Civil Service.
At the Smithsonian, Johnson promotes and strengthens the Smithsonian’s relationship with Congress, the Executive Branch and federal, state and local governments. Previously, she served as chief of staff to the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and as senior government relations associate in the Office of Government Relations at the Smithsonian.
Born in New Orleans, Johnson holds a degree in mass communications and journalism from the University of Iowa and a law degree from Howard University School of Law.
