Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson

Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson has been a long-time resident of South DeKalb. County for over 30 years. During that time, she built and cultivated relationships that gained the community’s respect personally and professionally. On July 14, 2015, she was elected to serve the DeKalb County Commission, District 5, filling a 2 ½ year vacancy and re-elected on November 4, 2016, with overwhelming support.

In January 2022, Commissioner Davis Johnson was elected by her colleagues to serve as the Deputy Presiding Officer and currently serves as the Presiding Officer of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners. She serves as Chair of the County Operations (OPS) Committee and is a member of the Employee Relations and Public Safety (ERPS) Committee and the Finance, Audit and Budget (FAB) Committee.

Davis Johnson, a solid leader with vision, brings a spirit of collaboration to her work on the Board of Commissioners to continue “Moving DeKalb Forward.” Her vision is to pass legislation and develop policies to improve the quality of life for all she serves. She selflessly serves the over 150,000 constituents in her district.

Commissioner Johnson has been a practicing attorney for more than 35 years, concentrating in the area of family law. In 1985, she became the first black female judge appointed in DeKalb County Courts. At the time of her historic appointment, she had practiced law for less than three years. Commissioner Johnson is a co-founding partner of the private law firm of Johnson Hopewell Coleman, LLC, where she currently practices law.

The Commissioner holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree from Tennessee State University. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston, where she met her law and life partner, Congressman Hank Johnson.

As a woman of vision, she is the co-founder and a past president of the DeKalb Lawyers Association where she continues as a volunteer. She formerly served on the Board of Directors of DeKalb Hospital Authority and the Georgia Democratic Executive Committee. She is also a former Board Member of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc., Georgia Legal Services, Inc., and has served as a volunteer lawyer for Decatur Cooperative Ministry.

Commissioner Davis Johnson is a member of the Congressional Spouses Club and the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses, where she served as chair for four years. In 2020, she passed a resolution removing the confederate monument from the County square and co-convenied, with Decatur City Mayor Patti Garrett, the John Lewis Commemorative Task Force to find the most appropriate way to honor the legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis. Commissioner Johnson and her husband, Congressman Hank Johnson, have been married for over 40 years and are the proud parents of two adult children.