Kelly D. Johnston
Encyclopedia
Kelly D. Johnston is a former Secretary of the United States Senate
. He served as the 28th Secretary of the Senate and was nominated by Bob Dole
, who was Senate Majority Leader at the time. He was the first Secretary of the Senate from Oklahoma
and the second youngest ever chosen.
Johnston currently works as the Vice President of Government Affairs for the Campbell Soup Company and is a member of the board of Congressional Management Foundation.
in 1956, Johnston graduated from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in 1976 with a bachelor's in Communications and Drama, where he also served as President of the Student Association and as Editor of the Trend, the student newspaper. Before beginning his career in Washington, DC, he was a newspaper reporter for the Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Examiner-Enterprise, and served briefly as Managing Editor of the Henryetta, Oklahoma Free-Lance, where under his leadership, the newspaper won four awards for photography and journalism from the Oklahoma Press Association.
Before his nomination as Secretary, he served as Executive Director of the US Senate Republican Policy Committee, part of the US Senate Republican leadership, then chaired by US Senator Don Nickles
. Prior to that, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the US Department of Transportation under Secretaries Samuel Skinner and Andrew Card during the Administration of President George H. W. Bush
.
During the 1990 elections, he was a regional political director at the National Republican Senatorial Committee
(NRSC), where he worked on the reelection campaigns of several incumbent Republican Senators. Before joining the NRSC, Johnston was chief of staff to then-US Representative Jon Kyl
, Communications Director to US Representative John Hiler, and a staff assistant to US Representative John Paul Hammerschmidt
. He also served as a Regional Political Director at the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 1984 and 1986 congressional elections. He has worked in some capacity in 35 US Senate or House campaigns in 25 states.
from June 8, 1995, until December 10, 1996. During his tenure, he advocated for the creation of the Capitol Visitor Center and implemented two reform laws, the Lobby Disclosure Act and Congressional Accountability Act.
to serve as a member of the Federal Election Commission
was not acted upon by the United States Senate
. From 1996 to 2002, he was Executive Vice President for Government Affairs and Communications for the National Food Processors Association. Today, he is Vice President of Government Affairs for the Campbell Soup Company at their world headquarters in Camden, New Jersey. In 2009, he was elected Chairman of the Canadian American Business Council.
Secretary of the United States Senate
The Secretary of the Senate is an elected officer of the United States Senate. The Secretary supervises an extensive array of offices and services to expedite the day-to-day operations of that body...
. He served as the 28th Secretary of the Senate and was nominated by Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
, who was Senate Majority Leader at the time. He was the first Secretary of the Senate from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and the second youngest ever chosen.
Johnston currently works as the Vice President of Government Affairs for the Campbell Soup Company and is a member of the board of Congressional Management Foundation.
Early life
Born in Edmond, OklahomaEdmond, Oklahoma
Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the population was 81,405, making it the sixth largest city in the state of Oklahoma....
in 1956, Johnston graduated from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in 1976 with a bachelor's in Communications and Drama, where he also served as President of the Student Association and as Editor of the Trend, the student newspaper. Before beginning his career in Washington, DC, he was a newspaper reporter for the Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Bartlesville is a city in Osage and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 43,070 at the 2010 census. Bartlesville is located forty-seven miles north of Tulsa and very close to Oklahoma's northern border with Kansas. It is the county seat of Washington County, in...
Examiner-Enterprise, and served briefly as Managing Editor of the Henryetta, Oklahoma Free-Lance, where under his leadership, the newspaper won four awards for photography and journalism from the Oklahoma Press Association.
Before his nomination as Secretary, he served as Executive Director of the US Senate Republican Policy Committee, part of the US Senate Republican leadership, then chaired by US Senator Don Nickles
Don Nickles
Donald Lee Nickles is an American businessman and politician who was a Republican United States Senator from Oklahoma from 1981 until 2005. He was a fiscal and social conservative.-Early life:...
. Prior to that, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the US Department of Transportation under Secretaries Samuel Skinner and Andrew Card during the Administration of President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
.
During the 1990 elections, he was a regional political director at the National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
(NRSC), where he worked on the reelection campaigns of several incumbent Republican Senators. Before joining the NRSC, Johnston was chief of staff to then-US Representative Jon Kyl
Jon Kyl
Jon Llewellyn Kyl is the junior U.S. Senator from Arizona and the Senate Minority Whip, the second-highest position in the Republican Senate leadership. In 2010 he was recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world for his persuasive role in the Senate.The son...
, Communications Director to US Representative John Hiler, and a staff assistant to US Representative John Paul Hammerschmidt
John Paul Hammerschmidt
John Paul Hammerschmidt is an American politician from the U.S. state of Arkansas. A Republican, Hammerschmidt served for thirteen terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from the northwestern Arkansas district before he retired in 1993...
. He also served as a Regional Political Director at the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 1984 and 1986 congressional elections. He has worked in some capacity in 35 US Senate or House campaigns in 25 states.
Secretary of the Senate
Johnston served as Secretary of the United States SenateSecretary of the United States Senate
The Secretary of the Senate is an elected officer of the United States Senate. The Secretary supervises an extensive array of offices and services to expedite the day-to-day operations of that body...
from June 8, 1995, until December 10, 1996. During his tenure, he advocated for the creation of the Capitol Visitor Center and implemented two reform laws, the Lobby Disclosure Act and Congressional Accountability Act.
Today
Johnston left the Secretary's office in December, 1996 after his nomination by President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
to serve as a member of the Federal Election Commission
Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
was not acted upon by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. From 1996 to 2002, he was Executive Vice President for Government Affairs and Communications for the National Food Processors Association. Today, he is Vice President of Government Affairs for the Campbell Soup Company at their world headquarters in Camden, New Jersey. In 2009, he was elected Chairman of the Canadian American Business Council.