Jewel Williams Johnson was re-elected to her 2nd term on the Westchester County Board of Legislators last November. She succeeded her mother, Alfreda Williams in 2021 to represent the 8th Legislative District.
Jewel serves as Chair of the Board of Legislators’ Committee on Budget & Appropriations, Sub-Committee on Health and the Non-Profit Taskforce. She also serves as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Human Services. She is the first since the inception of the Board to Chair the Committee on Budget & Appropriations in a first term. Jewel also serves on four other committees/taskforces: Housing & Planning, Labor & Human Rights, Public Works & Transportation and on the Families Taskforce. As Chair of the Sub-Committee on Health she ensures meetings highlight vital issues including Mental Health, Digital Access Inequities Contribute to Health Disparities, Domestic Violence, Infant Suffocation Education, Baby Formula Monopoly/Shortage, Fire Arm Injuries Are A Pediatric Public Health Crisis, Long COVID, Impact of Political Dividedness on Relationships, Suicide Prevention, Veterans Affairs, Denied Medicare Claims, Prescription Drugs Affordability, Maternal Health Disparities, Food Insecurity Amongst College Students & Mental Health Insurance Parity. As a direct result of her advocacy and efforts, the County’s 2023 and 2024 Budgets includes funding to reopen two of the County’s mental health clinics that were shut down in 2011 under the former administration. In her first year on the Board of Legislators Jewel was the primary sponsor on two pieces of legislation, the Gun Safety Signage Bill and the Flavored Tobacco Ban. Although, the Flavored Tobacco Ban was vetoed (a first by the County Executive), $3 million in funding has been specifically directed to non-profit organizations for public education campaigns and to facilitate cessation services.
Jewel highly regards community involvement and has always been very active locally. She has volunteered and held many leadership positions. She is the immediate past president of the Westchester Black Women’s Political Caucus, Inc. (WBWPC); former member of the Westchester County Women’s Advisory Board; guest lecturer on Politics at Lehman College; former Vice President, White Plains-Greenburgh Branch, NAACP; former Mentor Program Coordinator, Highview Elementary School; former Church Clerk & former President, Women’s Ministry at Bethel Baptist Church; former Advisory Board Member, WCLA Choice Matters; former member, Town of Greenburgh Arts & Cultural Board and she is also an occasional contributor on Politics for The Westchester County Press to name a few. She is also a district leader with the Greenburgh Democratic Town Committee.
Jewel attended both SUNY College at Buffalo and CUNY Baruch College. Professionally, she recently retired from serving as an administrator at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital for over 15 years and she has a long history of administrative positions with a number of non-profit entities.
Jewel strives to always be accessible and attentive to citizens’ concerns. She grew up in Westchester, she is a product of the Greenburgh Central School District and considers herself extraordinarily blessed to live in Westchester with her husband, Lacy Johnson, her mother & their Dalmatian, Jasper.