Milwaukee Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson to resign, prompting another leadership shift

Milwaukee Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson will resign in early March, and longtime Department of Administration Director Sharon Robinson will also retire in the coming weeks.

Johnson's departure paves the way for a fifth leader to take the department's helm since longtime health commissioner Bevan Baker was pushed out in January 2018 after a series of missteps and failures related to treating and notifying lead-poisoned children and problems in the department's cancer screening and family planning programs.

Johnson joined Health Department in pandemic

Johnson was appointed by former Mayor Tom Barrett in January 2021 and confirmed by the Common Council the next month, becoming the third person to lead the Health Department during the coronavirus pandemic.

She previously served as the director at the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department, where she has said she did not feel she was politically supported in responding to the pandemic.

In Milwaukee, Johnson took over the city's pandemic response, including city-run testing sites and masking mandates and advisories.

The department has also seen a significant portion of the city's federal pandemic aid flow to its lead poisoning prevention program, which department leaders have said they plan to use to clear lead out of as many homes as possible and create a wider referral system for lead abatement.

Johnson told a Common Council committee in October that the program "has really turned around in the last 18 months."

Her resignation is set for March 3. The reasons for her departure were not immediately clear.

Johnson did not respond to voicemails and a text message seeking comment Monday.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson Monday evening declined to tell reporters the reasons for her resignation. He said he did not ask her to resign and that she was leaving on good terms.

"It's been a very stressful job and she has done very diligent work to rebuild a troubled department in the City of Milwaukee, one that's had a number of troubles going back several years," he said.

In a statement, he said she had restructured the department, handled contentious issues and managed daily operations. He also said she had addressed problems in the lead program and set the department up for stability and success long-term.

The commissioner in the statement said she was proud of the department's work. She called it a "rare privilege" to work with a team like hers and said resigning was not an easy decision.

Her successor, whether permanent or interim, was not immediately known.

She replaced interim health commissioner Marlaina Jackson, who had been in the position since the exit of Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik in fall 2020.

Kowalik in September 2018 took over from Patricia McManus, who had been serving as interim commissioner since February of that year.

Robinson served since 2004

Robinson joined Barrett's administration after he was first elected in 2004 and remained in the position for a year after he resigned to become ambassador of Luxembourg.

She is expected to depart in the coming weeks.

The Department of Administration director provides strategic direction to a host of offices within city government, including the Budget and Management Division, the offices of Equity and Inclusion and African American Affairs, purchasing, intergovernmental relations and more, according to her city biography.

Before coming to the city, she served as Barrett's chief of staff when he was a U.S. representative, in addition to other roles in Washington D.C.

Recently, she has led the city's challenge to the 2020 U.S. Census figures.

She said it was an "honor and privilege" to serve in the position, calling public service her "life calling."

The mayor thanked Robinson and praised her work, saying her leadership had been felt throughout City Hall and the city.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson to resign in March