Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson attended Troy University where she received a B.S. degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice; a M.S. in The Administration of Criminal Justice and received and an M.P.A. in Public Administration with a concentration in Economic Development and Grant Writing from Auburn University before attending John Marshall Law School.
Commissioner Cochran-Johnson has spent two decades in print media, mass communications, and management. As Super District 7 Commissioner Cochran-Johnson proudly serves over 350,000 constituents from Dunwoody to Ellenwood, including Unincorporated DeKalb.
Commissioner Cochran-Johnson was elected as Deputy Presiding Officer for 2020-2021 for the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners. She serves as the Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee and is a member of the Planning, Economic Development and Community Services Committee.
As Commissioner of District 7, she has established 7 priorities to foster positive change to transform DeKalb Communities: Economic Development, Public Safety, Education, Blight, Senior Initiatives, and Home Ownership. Her 2020 strategic focus areas include Small Business Support and Expansion, Youth and Teen Enrichment, and Enhanced Community Communications.
Commissioner Cochran-Johnson has spearheaded efforts to push state-wide online voting, end the proliferation of dollar stores throughout DeKalb; allocated $200,000 to revive the DeKalb Land Bank to end abated properties; provided $100,000 towards the Small Business Loan Program; awarded $150,000 to the Misdemeanor Mental Health Court; spent $64,000 to fund South DeKalb’s first Park Naturalist. For 2020, Commissioner Cochran-Johnson has allocated $100,000 toward the Phase II development of the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Amphitheater, $101,500 for a Discover DeKalb Convention Center feasibility study, $50,000 for a Tucker Parks Bee Conservatory and $75,500 for the Bransby-Rock Chapel Park Youth Farm, an estimated $904,000 project.
Commissioner Cochran-Johnson recently completed commissioner training and is now a Certified County Commissioner, which she completed in record time in just a little over a year. She currently is a member of the DeKalb County COVID-19 Task Force and a board member for the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Project.
Commissioner Cochran-Johnson is in the 2020 Class of Leadership DeKalb and most recently was chosen to participate in the 2020-2021 Class of Leadership Women America.
She is the wife of Ret. Lt. Col. William H. Johnson, III, niece of Annie Page and the Mother of Agnes Scott freshman Zion Cochran, Lorraine values God, family, and community above all else
