Kelly E. Johnson

Kelly Johnson is a lobbyist and a director in Williams Mullen's Government Relations Group, where she provides lobbying services to businesses and associations before Virginia’s legislative and executive branches of government, including state agencies and boards.

Leveraging relationships with locally elected officials, industry and community leaders, Kelly works to advance her client’s goals through efficient collaboration and communication. Kelly has extensive knowledge in strategically tracking and analyzing legislation to identify potential political and policy opportunities. Before joining Williams Mullen, she served as the chief of staff for the office of the Honorable Schuyler T. VanValkenburg in both the Senate of Virginia and the Virginia House of Delegates. In this role, Kelly managed a policy portfolio and helped to pass significant pieces of legislation in a variety of areas including housing, education, energy, elections, gaming, social services and more.

Prior to her time in the Virginia General Assembly, Kelly served as U.S. Senator Mark Warner’s Regional Director of his Roanoke district office. There, she was primarily responsible for building relationships with local elected officials, policy stakeholders, industry representatives, and community leaders in over 40 Virginia localities, ensuring the Senator’s priorities were effectively communicated and advocated for at the local and state level. She also reported to the Senator on the changing dynamics and policy issues of the region, offering strategic insights for legislative initiatives.

Kelly is a graduate of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership’s Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Virginia and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.