Bill Johnson Background
Bill Johnson's character was forged early growing up at Fort Benning and hardened in the mountains of Afghanistan and Honduras. As the son of a career Army soldier, Bill’s parents instilled in their children the principles this great country was founded on and the sacrifices made in protecting those freedoms.
Johnson’s parents stressed the importance of hard work, getting a good education, marketable skills, military service and above all else, a profound faith.
Bill studied hard in school and received a full academic scholarship to Spring Hill College in Mobile where he majored in pre-med until a fateful day in the spring on 1980. Having been raised on military bases and with a deep sense of patriotism, Bill flew to Pakistan between his junior and senior years at Spring Hill to volunteer as a medic with the Afghan Mujahideen fighting the soviets.
Because of his Christianity, the Afghans did not accept Bill's offer to serve in their forces; but the adventure did give Bill a passion to experience the cultures and governments of the world and seek God’s purpose for his life.
In 1985, communists had taken over Nicaragua. President Ronald Reagan raised the alarm, and again, Bill rose to the occasion. In January 1985, Bill traveled to Honduras and volunteered as a medic on the front lines with the Contras fighting the communists.
Bill served in a small frontline camp that served as home to 1,000 Contra fighters called La Lodosa. For Bill, living and working with 1,000 people who were prepared to die for their freedom had a profound effect on him.
That experience translated into an unwavering commitment to do right, stand up with courage for his beliefs no matter what the cost, to develop leadership skills that could translate into effective change and to support our troops, their spouses, children and extended families. His appreciation for military families and their sacrifices of time, energy and unfortunately, sometimes the ultimate sacrifice of shed blood, is an effort we should never forget.
From 1980-1993, Bill lived and worked with people from more than 40 countries on 5 continents. He came back to Alabama and the United States with an intense appreciation for the principles that made the United States the greatest country on earth. He committed to getting involved in politics, supporting candidates and causes and protecting the freedoms of our country and our states.
He has carried that commitment to conservative ideals, doing what's right, and working to empower communities, strengthen families and improve the quality of life for all Alabamians.
Following his commitment to politics, Johnson led the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) for six-and-a-half years. Prior to working with ADECA, Johnson worked as a political consultant specializing in the innovative use of information technology.
He gained experience in community development from 1997-2001 as a member of the Birmingham City Council. His service on the Council drew praise from both Republican and Democratic legislators for the ability to work across party lines and from the small and large business community for his pro-business support. Along with a unique lifetime of education and experience, Bill brought a unique ability to bring citizens together to address challenging and controversial issues.
In 2004, Bill and Kathy Johnson joined not only in marriage, but in working together to improve the quality of life for all Alabamians. Kathy was appointed as the Director of Governor Riley's Alabama Broadband Initiative and Connecting Alabama—a statewide initiative to increase access to and use of broadband (high-speed Internet). She is dedicated to insuring that every child has the same opportunities to learn, every family has the same opportunities to earn, and that every business has the tools to compete on a global scale. She is also a state representative on the national Internet Innovation Alliance.
As former director of Children First Foundation and the Alabama Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Kathy has worked tirelessly as an advocate for Alabama’s children and families. She has served on dozens of state and local boards dedicated to improving the lives of children. During the past several years, Kathy has spoken to over 80,000 people across the state.
Also passionate about community service, Kathy had a five-year running, weekly radio program for blind and visually impaired listeners, works with incarcerated women and has raised funds and awareness for a number of children's issues.