As Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, M. Tia Johnson acts as the Department’s principal liaison with the U.S. Congress, coordinating and overseeing the Department’s legislative activity, working closely with authorization, appropriations, and oversight committees of the House and Senate to ensure that the Department’s priorities are reflected throughout the legislative and oversight process, and advises the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and other senior leadership of the Department on legislative matters.
Prior to her appointment as Assistant Secretary M. Tia Johnson was a Senior Advisor at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security, a position she has held since 2014. Before that, Ms. Johnson served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps from 1984 to 2013, where she was the first African-American female to attain the rank of Colonel in JAG Corps history. From 2012 to 2013, she was the Senior Military Assistant to the General Counsel of the Department of Defense. Ms. Johnson served as a Special Assistant for Legal and International Security Affairs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs from 2010 to 2011, the Judge Advocate for U.S. Forces Korea from 2008 to 2010, and Associate Deputy General Counsel for International Affairs from 2007 to 2008. Ms. Johnson received a B.A. from the Hampton Institute, a J.D. from Temple University, an LL.M. from the University of Virginia, an LL.M. from the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s School, and an M.S. from the U.S. Army War College.