Martha N. Johnson
Assistant Commissioner
Office of Client Solutions
General Services Administration Public Buildings Service
As Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), Martha N. Johnson works on the front lines of President Obama's agenda to build a more sustainable and effective government for the American people. The GSA is responsible for improving the government's workplace by managing assets, preserving historic property, delivering maximum value in acquisitions, and implementing technology solutions.
Prior to her appointment in the Obama Administration, Johnson worked in large, complex organizations propelling them through strategic and productivity change. With her broad cross-section of experience, from Chief Financial Officer of the architecture firm Ellenzweig Moore to change management and logistics expert at Cummins diesel engine factory, Johnson brings a deep knowledge of executive leadership in each of GSA's core business lines.
Johnson's credentials in organizational transformation began in 1979 at Cummins Engine Company where she participated in a transformation in the production of diesel engines, one of the early examples of the Total Quality Revolution in manufacturing in American industry. Johnson deepened her change management expertise as a search executive at Isaacson, Miller. In 1992, when President Clinton sought to build a leadership team that reflected America's broad diversity, she was appointed to the Office of Presidential Personnel.
In the mid-1990s Johnson was asked to serve first as Assistant Deputy Secretary at the Department of Commerce and then as Chief of Staff at the GSA. In these positions, she fostered collaboration and strengthened the leadership teams. Her strategic vision and management expertise helped GSA successfully maneuver through changes brought about by the Clinger-Cohen Act, taking the agency from a mandatory supplier of goods and services to a competitive, market-oriented, supplier-of-choice for federal agencies.
In 2002, Johnson's change management and leadership knowledge came full circle when she joined SRA International. Consulting to federal agencies, she provided strategic development, productivity improvements and methodologies for innovation. At that time she also served on the Board of Supervisors for the UK Government's Office of Government Commerce, supporting their strategies for procurement reform and acquisition workforce support. In 2007, Johnson joined Computer Sciences Corporation as Vice President of Culture where she drove innovation and collaborative capacity across the 90,000-person, global IT services company.
Johnson was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 19th Administrator of General Services on February 5, 2010.
Johnson received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Oberlin College and Master of Business Administration from Yale University.