Jermaine Johnson

Dr. Jermaine Johnson is a community activist, avid volunteer, and public servant who will bring a new era to South Carolina House District 80. As a husband and proud father, Jermaine knows the value and importance of giving back to the community that has helped him raise his family and grow as a leader. At an early age, Jermaine witnessed firsthand the effects of poverty, gun violence, and homelessness.

As a gifted athlete, Jermaine used his skills on the basketball court to earn his way to a full scholarship to the College of Charleston. After graduating with a bachelors degree in Communications, he continued his athletic career and was drafted into the NBA’s D-League and went on to play for various teams abroad in Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and Portugal. But after years of traveling the world and playing the sport he loved, Jermaine decided that it was time to return home and pursue his other passion of serving others. Jermaine continued his educational pursuits and attained a graduate degree in Project Management and a doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership. After working in the community for several years, he noticed there was a gap in access to employment assistance services in the community. Therefore, Jermaine founded New Economic Beginnings Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit workforce development organization that provides employment and life skill building assistance to underserved citizens in Richland County.

Jermaine is the owner of Dream Team Consulting and an adjunct professor at Webster University in Columbia, SC. He is a member of the Democratic Black Caucus of South Carolina and a James E. Clyburn Fellow. He currently serves on the Board of Commissioners for the Richland County Recreation Commission and the Board of Directors for the Richland County Recreation Foundation. He holds the positions of Third-Vice Chair for the Richland County Democratic Party, Vice-Chair of the Young Democrats of the Central Midlands, and Minority Caucus Chair of the Young Democrats of South Carolina.