Alicia Johnson to become first Black woman elected to Georgia's Public Service Commission

Alicia Johnson holds up a hand and puts her hand on a Bible held up by her husband
Democrat Alicia Johnson takes her ceremonial oath of office to join the Georgia Public Service Commission as her husband Pernell Johnson holds a Bible on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 in the commission meeting room in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

Alicia Johnson will become the first Black woman elected to a statewide post that isn’t a judgeship in Georgia when she takes office on the state Public Service Commission on Thursday.

Johnson held a ceremonial swearing-in Monday in the commission chambers in Atlanta, surrounded by family, friends and supporters. She called her election a “historic milestone.”

“I think that anybody who does something for the first time has a — you know it could be an overwhelming sense of responsibility,” Johnson told reporters. “It’s a shame that a commission that has over a 100-year history, that I’m the first anything on it. But the reality is, that’s who we are.”