State Representative Bert Johnson was elected to serve the 5th Legislative District beginning his first term on January 1, 2007. The 5th legislative District is comprised of northeast Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck. Bert Johnson is the eldest of four siblings and was born in Detroit on October 20, 1973. He has lived his entire life as a Detroit resident until his recent move to Highland Park. He is the father of three children: India, 11; Bertram, 8; and Nicholas, 4.
Bert received his education at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy and went on to become a Criminology and Security Administration major at the University of Detroit, Mercy. He is a member of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church. His other civic affiliations include being a member of the Mr. Pavan Lodge #2 F & M Prince Hall. He is also a member of the Michigan Democratic Party, the Michigan Young Dems, the Highland Park Optimist Club and the NAACP.
Prior to becoming an elected official, Bert served as office manager at his family's law firm and was the Chief of Staff to State Representative Bill McConico for over 5 years. As a State Representative, he has joined several caucuses, including the Fire Services Caucus, the Public Transit Caucus, the Bio-economy Caucus, the Public Safety Caucus and the Aviation Caucus. He was elected to serve as Chair of the Detroit Caucus, a collection of the twelve members of the Michigan House of Representatives whose districts contain at least a portion of the City of Detroit.
He was appointed by the Speaker of the House to serve on the following committees:
Regulatory Reform (Chair)
Banking and Financial Services
Energy and Technology
Health Policy