Our Team

Charlie Johnson

Charlie Johnson is a Senior Advisor at Leavitt Partners. Recently, he left the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he served as Acting Secretary of the Department. This followed his five years of service under the Bush Administration.

He was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Assistant Secretary for Resources and Technology/Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Health and Human Services in 2005. He served as Acting Secretary until June 2009 during the transition from the Bush to the Obama Administration. He previously served in an appointed position as Chief Financial Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Mr. Johnson was President of Huntsman Cancer Foundation and Vice President of Huntsman LLC from 2001 to 2004. From 1997 to 2004, he also served as a member of the Utah State Board of Regents, which oversees all public institutions of higher education in the state of Utah. He served as Chair of the Board of Regents from December 1997 through May 2002.

Prior to joining Huntsman, Mr. Johnson served as Vice Chairman of the Board for Strategic Direction with the Garff-Warner Organization from 1997 to 2001. He served as Chief of Staff to the Governor of the state of Utah from 1992 to 1997. Mr. Johnson also served as Director of the 2000 re-election campaign for Governor Michael O. Leavitt.

Mr. Johnson spent 31 years in the practice of public accounting, including service on the Board of Directors of KPMG and as Chairman of its Merger Transition Committee. He retired from KPMG in 1991.

Mr. Johnson graduated with honors from Brigham Young University with a B.S. degree in accounting.  He is married to the former Susanna Brown. They have six grown children.