Marie Collins Johns is the deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), a federal agency which provides small businesses with access to capital and government contracts, counseling and training, and disaster relief. She was nominated by President Barack Obama on December 17, 2009, and confirmed unanimously by the Senate on June 22, 2010. Johns is a former president and CEO of the telecommunications company Verizon, Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 She made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 nomination in the 2006 Washington, DC Mayoral Race.

Education

Johns holds B.S. and M.P.A. degrees from Indiana University

Indiana University

Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...

. She was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Trinity College (now Trinity University

Trinity Washington University

Trinity Washington University, founded in 1897 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is a Roman Catholic university located in Washington, D.C. across from Catholic University of America and the Dominican House of Studies...

).

Career

Johns began her career as a secretary and worked her way up to be President and CEO of Verizon, Washington, D.C., a $700 million telecommunications company. While at Verizon, Johns created a job-training program that placed over 400 children, many of whom were high school dropouts, in communications jobs. She also led the efforts of Verizon's predecessor company, Bell Atlantic, to provide a high-speed internet connection to every public school and public library in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 Johns also led the effort to create technology learning centers in each of the city's eight wards and played a key role in securing $10 million in federal funding to implement a school-to-careers initiative.

Johns is a trustee of Howard University

Howard University

Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...

 and has served as chair of the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science, which welcomed its inaugural class of 120 sixth graders August 29, 2005. Johns is a former chair of the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington (www.ymcawashdc.org/) and recently co-chaired a $4 million capital campaign for the Metropolitan Washington Girl Scouts Council

Scouting in the District of Columbia

Scouting in Washington, D.C. has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.-History:Washington D.C...

. She is also an annual participant in the Girl Scouts Camp.

In the 1980s, Johns spearheaded the establishment of the first home in the city for babies born to mothers addicted to crack cocaine

Cocaine

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...

. Johns is a former chair of Leadership Washingtonhttp://www.leadershipwashington.org and the DC Chamber of Commercehttp://www.dcchamber.org/, and has served as a director of many organizations, including the Greater Washington Board of Trade

Greater Washington Board of Trade

The Greater Washington Board of Trade is a network of business and non-profit leaders in Washington, D.C.Since its creation in 1889, the Greater Washington Board of Trade has provided advocacy, research, and programs for the area's business community...

 http://www.bot.org, the Economic Club of Washingtonhttp://www.economicclub.org/, the National Capital Revitalization Corporationhttp://www.ncrcdc.com/, and the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation

Anacostia Waterfront Corporation

The Anacostia Waterfront Corporation was a government-owned corporation established by the government of Washington, D.C., to revitalize neighborhoods next to the Anacostia River and to coordinate the environmental rehabilitation and use of the river...

.http://www.anacostiawaterfront.net/ Johns is the Founding Chair of the Washington DC Technology Councilhttp://www.dctechcouncil.org/ and a member of the senior board of stewards of Washington's historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church.http://www.metropolitanamec.org/.

Personal life

Johns has been married for over 40 years to Wendell Johns. Marie and Wendell are the parents of Richard Johns, an attorney in private practice in Washington. The couple has two grandchildren.