Keita Kalonji Johnson returned to the Department of State as Deputy Secretary for Regulatory Programs in April 2022. He oversees the bureaus and commissions that regulate the registration and enforcement of corporate and charitable organizations and professional licensing as well as the State Athletic Commission.
Kalonji joined the Department in 2015, first serving as the Deputy Policy Director and then Policy Director. On June 9, 2020, the Pennsylvania Senate confirmed him as Commissioner of Professional and Occupational Affairs. He left the Department in January 2022 to work as a Special Assistant for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Priorities for Senator Vincent J. Hughes of Philadelphia, the Democratic Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
In his previous roles at the Department, Kalonji was responsible for supporting legislative and regulatory policy analysis related to everything from professional licensing to voting rights. He also evaluated emerging policy issues for the Department, such as reducing barriers to licensure and employment for citizens with criminal histories, improving language access, implementing the medical marijuana program, and ensuring access to autism-related services for children in the Commonwealth.
Prior to joining the Department in 2015, Johnson worked for the Pennsylvania Senate as legislative counsel and chief of staff to respectively, retired Senator Leanna Washington of the 4th District, and retired Senator Shirley Kitchen of the 3rd District in Philadelphia.
Johnson holds a Juris Doctor degree from Villanova University School of Law and Bachelor of Arts degrees in marketing and strategic management from Temple University, Fox School of Business. He lives in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, with his wife, Renea, and their three sons.