Congressman Bill Johnson of Ohio will leave his federal office on Jan. 21, joining a wave of Republicans who have chosen to leave before the end of their current term.
Johnson will begin his new role as the president of Youngstown State University on Jan. 22. The Chair of the school’s Board of Trustees, Michael A. Peterson, confirmed in a letter on Jan. 2 that the congressman had submitted his letter of resignation, “paving the way for him to begin his presidency.”
“With his contract indicating he would start prior to March 15, 2024 we are excited to have him on campus earlier than anticipated,” he wrote. “In the meantime, Bill will continue to visit campus as often as his schedule allows to continue meeting with students, faculty and staff.”
“Bill brings a commitment to advancing our institution's mission, and we eagerly anticipate the contributions he and his wife LeeAnn will make to our community,” added Peterson.
The YSU’s board held an emergency meeting in November and agreed to offer Johnson the school’s 10th presidency. Five days later, on Nov. 21, the board voted 8-1 to hire the congressman.
“The decision was met with vocal criticism from faculty, students, alumni and donors who objected to the confidential search as well as the decision to hire Johnson because of his politics and lack of experience in higher education,” reports The Vindicator.
Molly Seals was the only board member to vote against hiring Johnson. Seals was elected to the board in 2017 and worked as the systems vice president of Human Resources Program Delivery at Mercy Health Youngstown. In its announcement, YSU noted Seals “contributed to a number of strategic initiatives at a system level, including Mercy Health’s first Strategic Diversity Plan.”
Johnson’s office has not released an official statement about his departure.
Prior to his political career, Johnson served in the Air Force for 26 years before co-founding an information technology consulting company. He was elected to U.S. Congress in 2010 and sits on the House Energy & Commerce Committee. He also leads the Environment, Manufacturing & Critical Materials Subcommittee. According to his website, his son Nathan is currently an undergraduate student at YSU.
While Republicans currently hold the majority in the House of Representatives, a wave of departures will narrow the party’s hold on the chamber. Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy departed at the end of December. Johnson’s retirement will leave 219 Republicans in the House and 213 Democrats.
Johnson opposed McCarthy’s removal from leadership.
More elected officials from both parties have announced their intentions to leave office during 2024, including at least 20 Democrats and 12 Republicans, per Axios.
