Stephanie Johanns (née Armitage) is an American politician and businessperson. She is a former first lady of Nebraska and member of the
Nebraska Legislature
The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislative branch, legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators ...
. Johanns was a
county commissioner
A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the County (United States)#County government, county government in some U.S. state, states of ...
for
Lancaster County.
Early life and education
Johanns is from Arizona. She graduated from high school in
Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart ( ) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 53,923 at the 2020 census. The city is located east of South Bend, Indiana. It is the most populous city in the Elkhart–Goshen metropolitan area, which in tu ...
and completed a degree in psychology at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
in 1977. She married Mike Armitage. They divorced in 1985 with no children. She married
Mike Johanns
Michael Owen Johanns ( ; born June 18, 1950) is an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from Nebraska from 2009 to 2015. He served as the 38th governor of Nebraska from 1999 until 2005, and was chair of the Mi ...
on December 24, 1986. She is a Republican and a conservative Catholic.
Career
In 1985, Johanns was a part-time manager of the Greater Lincoln Private Industry Council. She left the post on November 25, 1985 to work as the information center coordinator at Lincoln Telephone Company. In that role, she oversaw three employees supporting the internal computer users. Johanns was a
county commissioner
A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the County (United States)#County government, county government in some U.S. state, states of ...
for
Lancaster County.
Nebraska governor
Kay A. Orr
Kay Avonne Orr (née Stark; January 2, 1939) is an American politician who served as the 36th governor of Nebraska from 1987 to 1991. A member of the Republican Party, she was the state's first and to date only female governor.
Early life and ...
appointed Johanns to the
Nebraska Legislature
The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislative branch, legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators ...
to fill the vacancy created by
Bill Harris when he became the mayor of Lincoln. She served from 1987 to 1988 and did not run for reelection.
In 1998, the Girl Scouts presented Johanns the Spirit of Girl Scout Award.
Johanns, the wife of
Mike Johanns
Michael Owen Johanns ( ; born June 18, 1950) is an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from Nebraska from 2009 to 2015. He served as the 38th governor of Nebraska from 1999 until 2005, and was chair of the Mi ...
, was the
First Lady of Nebraska from 1999 to 2005.
Johanns was the honorary chair of the Nebraska Volunteer Service Commission. She was awarded the 2001 leader in communication honor by the Lincoln chapter of the
International Association of Business Communicators
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a non-profit. It is a professional association for communications professionals. It was formed in 1970 when the American Association of Industrial Editors re-merged with the Intern ...
.
In 2004, she was the vice president of external affairs for
Alltel
Alltel was a landline, wireless service provider, wireless and general Telephone company, telecommunications services provider, primarily based in the United States. Before its wireless division was acquired by Verizon Wireless and AT&T, Alltel pr ...
in
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln (na ...
.
Johanns is a senior vice president at
Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. ( ), is an American telecommunications company headquartered in New York City. It is the world's second-largest telecommunications company by revenue and its mobile network is the largest wireless carrier in the ...
in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johanns, Stephanie
Women state legislators in Nebraska
20th-century American women politicians
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century American businesswomen
21st-century American businesspeople
Businesspeople from Nebraska
Verizon people
Alltel
People from Lancaster County, Nebraska
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Nebraska Republicans
Catholics from Nebraska
University of Minnesota alumni
20th-century members of the Nebraska Legislature
First ladies and gentlemen of Nebraska