taking care of business
Kathie Johnson Prince William Chamber of Commerce’s New Chairman By Amy Falkofske
M
eet Kathie Johnson, the Prince William Chamber of Commerce’s New Chairman of the Board of Directors. Kathie has been a board member with the Chamber since June of 2016. This month, she takes over for now Immediate Past-Chair Bishop Lyle Dukes.
A Wealth of Leadership Experience Johnson brings a wealth of leadership experience to her role as chair. She is a nurse by profession and serves as the president of Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center. Prior to that, she served in several leadership roles in hospitals in North Carolina, including eight years as president of Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center in Thomasville. While in that position, she served as the Chairman of the Board of the Thomasville Chamber of Commerce. Johnson’s leadership experience is what led to her being nominated as the chair-elect and then becoming the chair. “I was on the Board of Directors working on various committees with them, and then they offered me the Chair-Elect nominee, and my work with them has progressed since then,” she said.
Past and Present As chair-elect over the past year, Johnson has learned from and worked closely with the chair and immediate-past chair to “advance the agenda of the Chamber membership.” “The combined skills and experience of three leaders offers tremendous benefit to the Chamber as a whole,” she said.
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July 2020 prince william living
In her new role, Johnson will be leading the Board of Directors meetings more regularly and said that she will be “building on what [she’s] done this [past] year to be able to do more on behalf of the Chamber.” Johnson said what she most looks forward to during her term as chair is collaborating with businesses. “My greatest satisfaction comes from the opportunity to work with other business leaders in our community. Improving the business climate and quality of life for everyone is an important role of the chamber, and we really have a wonderful board. I’ve enjoyed meeting all the different business leaders and having the opportunity to work with them so far, and I’m looking forward to that even more in the future,” she said.
A Passion for Helping Businesses Johnson pointed out that Sentara is a special partner of the Chamber of Commerce and that’s part of what fuels her passion to work with the Chamber. “Our hospital has been a member of the local Chamber since it was first established in this community in 1972. Both the Chamber and the hospital have grown and evolved significantly over the last number of decades,” she said. She said that she feels strongly about supporting the Chamber’s mission, as well. “As the Prince William area has experienced growth, facilitating the growth and success of our thriving business community makes
