My name is Michael Johnson, and I’m originally from Brewer, Maine. I have also lived in Washington, D.C., but now live in Farmingdale.
I graduated from the University of Maine with my BA in Political Science with High Honors in 1997 and with my MA in Communication in 1999. In my master’s work, I focused on organizational communication and political communication.
In the spring of 1999, I moved down to Washington, D.C. to work for a member of Congress. In this role, I interacted with the public handling different constituent needs and concerns. A previous internship in Washington helped prime me for the job. Later, I went on to work in the telecommunications industry as a planning engineer for MCI-WorldCom (now Verizon). In that job capacity I worked in an organization with over 80,000 employees piecing together broadband networks. Following my work at WorldCom, I worked as a reporter for a telecommunications trade publication in Washington where I reported on different telecommunications stories happening across the country.
In 2002, I moved back to Maine to work for the Maine Legislature where I served as a legislative aide and communications director to various senators. In 2008, I started teaching at Kennebec Valley Community College and have enjoyed working with a variety of students. I am always impressed by the ambition, drive, and work ethic of students who may be just starting college for the first time, going back to school to complete a degree, receiving training for a new degree, or a number of other scenarios that often present challenges to students who often have families to care for too.
In September 2010, I married my wife Hillary and we went on a wonderful honeymoon to St. Lucia in the Eastern Caribbean. We have two kids who keep us really busy. We love dogs, and have two wonderful little dogs we fostered and then adopted from the Kennebec Valley Humane Society. In addition to dogs, we have a couple cats that keep us entertained.
I am also a big sports fan—particularly when it comes to the Boston Red Sox.
