The University of Tennessee recently honored Davidson County Register of Deeds Karen Johnson as a Certified Public Administrator following months of extensive training.
At a Capstone event in Murfreesboro, Johnson joined other county officials and employees from across the state in receiving certification.
“This certification is an honor,” Johnson said, “and the training I took to earn this designation gave me valuable practical skills that I will use to better serve the people of Davidson County.
“I’ve only been in office since September, but I placed a high priority on this training. Many officials choose to get this certification after several years of experience in county government.”
To achieve the designation as Certified Public Administrator, Johnson completed 80 credit hours in the County Officials Certificate Training Program. The program is administered by the UT County Technical Assistance Service and is available to every county official and county employee in Tennessee.
The County Technical Assistance Service program offers a wide array of training designed to help county officials and employees perform their jobs efficiently and effectively. The curriculum includes ethics, finance, records management, proactive leadership, and information technology. Classroom topics ranged from general government management to specifics like fire insurance ratings.
“I am grateful to the University of Tennessee and the CTAS staff that guided me through this process,” Johnson said. “I highly recommend this certification and training experience to any county official.”
Johnson joins other certified current and former officials, such as County Clerk Brenda Wynn, Circuit Court Clerk Ricky Rooker, the late Trustee Charlie Cardwell, former Juvenile Court Clerk David Smith, former Property Assessor George Rooker, former Register of Deeds Bill Garrett, among others.
Register Johnson has 20 years public service experience with Metro Nashville government and 23 years of professional experience in human resources, records, and information systems management. She holds an MBA from Trevecca Nazarene University and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Tennessee State University. She is a member of the Metro Public Records Commission, the Tennessee Registers Association, the County Officials Association of Tennessee (COAT), and the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA). She has three sons, a granddaughter, and lives with her husband David, a Mason and Marine, in their Southeast Nashville home.