Jerry Johnson currently serves as General Manager of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. The Commission provides water and wastewater service for 1.8 million residents in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. Prior to coming to WSSC, he served as the General Manager of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DCWASA) for 12 years.

Johnson is nationally known as a turnaround specialist. As the first General Manager of DCWASA, he guided it from an unrated agency to one with a double A+ credit rating in two years. He developed long-term capital and financial plans, a comprehensive rate strategy in addition to resolving major operating and regulatory agency issues. Public/private partnerships, infrastructure planning, and organizational development are also among Johnson’s areas of expertise.

Prior to joining DCWASA, Johnson served as Deputy City Manager for Operations in the City of Richmond, Virginia. During his tenure in Richmond, he also served as Director of Public Utilities, responsible for four separate utility operations including gas, electric, water and wastewater providing service to the metropolitan Richmond area. He also served as the General Manager for the Metropolitan Richmond Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Director of Community Facilities for the City.

Before moving to Richmond, he was Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Alexandria, Virginia and was a Senior Planner for the City of Charlottesville, Virginia. He graduated with a Business Degree from Ferrum College; a Degree in Urban Affairs and Economics from Virginia Tech and completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at the JFK School of Government, Harvard University. He serves on a number of boards and commissions and holds leadership positions in several national organizations. He has numerous honors and awards resulting from his professional accomplishments and community involvement and has a number of publications to his credit.