Interview with Tharon Johnson, April 3, 2018

Collection: Two-Party Georgia Oral History Project

Dublin Core

Description

Tharon Johnson was born in Atlanta and grew up in Athens. He attended Clark Atlanta University where played football and graduated in 2001. Johnson began his political career working in Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell’s Office for Community Affairs during while at Clark Atlanta. An experienced campaign manager and staffer, Johnson has worked for former Georgia Secretary of Labor Michael Thurmond, U.S. Representative John Barrow, U.S. Representative John Lewis, and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. Johnson also served as Southern Regional Director for President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. A government affairs and public relations specialist, Johnson has worked for several firms including Piedmont Public Affairs, McKenna, Long & Aldridge (Now Dentons), and Greenberg Traurig. He is founder and CEO of Paramount Consulting Group and resides in Atlanta.

Johnson starts by discussing his time growing up in Athens and attending college in Atlanta. He talks about working in Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell’s Office for Community Affairs and experience working for Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. Johnson highlights his experience on the campaigns and staffs of U.S. representatives John Barrow and John Lewis, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and President Barack Obama. He provides his thoughts on Governor Zell Miller, who had recently died. He discusses the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial contest, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the Democratic and Republican candidates. The interview closes with Johnson’s thoughts on Georgia political history, recent political contests, the future of the Democratic and Republican parties in Georgia as well as Governor Nathan Deal’s legacy.

Date

2018-04-03

Identifier

RBRL425TPGA-047

Coverage

Oral History Item Type Metadata

Location

Duration

69 minutes



Citation

Tharon Johnson and Ashton Ellett, “Interview with Tharon Johnson, April 3, 2018,” UGA Special Collections Libraries Oral Histories, accessed March 28, 2024, https://russelllibraryoralhistory.org/RBRL425TPGA/RBRL425TPGA-047.

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