Southern Bancorp Community Partners, a 501(c)(3) financial development and lending partner of Southern Bancorp, announced Monday the hiring of Jennifer Johnson as the organization’s new director of public policy.
Johnson will lead Southern’s efforts to create economic opportunities in underserved communities by advocating for policies that encourage low-income families to build net worth and develop strong financial foundations.
"On behalf of the entire Southern Bancorp organization, it is my pleasure to welcome Jennifer Johnson to the team," said Darrin Williams, CEO of Southern Bancorp. "Her extensive legal and policy experience at the state and federal level makes her an excellent choice for leading Southern’s policy efforts both in the Mid-South and nationally."
As a practicing attorney, Johnson spent many years managing complex criminal litigation on behalf of the state in the South Carolina Office of the Solicitor. She later joined the Center for Responsible Lending in North Carolina and Washington, D.C. as the organization's senior legislative counsel, where she advanced policies related to consumer banking, mortgage reform and consumer finance issues.
More recently, Johnson returned home to Mississippi where she founded the government relations firm Bridgetown Strategies LLC, which has been politically active in statewide education initiatives.
"Southern Bancorp is a true community development financial institution in every sense of the word," said Johnson. "Their commitment to providing sustainable housing opportunities, access to capital for small businesses and financial development solutions in economically distressed communities is what I admire most about the organization as these are the things that help communities thrive."
As Southern’' policy director, Johnson will work closely with both national lawmakers and those in Arkansas and Mississippi to advance policies that promote economic well-being in America’s distressed communities.
Issues on the horizon include promoting individual development account legislation in Mississippi, asset limit reform in Arkansas and national laws and regulatory policies that increase financial access and reduce community reliance on alternative financial services such as payday lenders.