Karen Johnson serves as the Register of Deeds for Nashville–Davidson County, becoming the first woman and first African American elected to the office. First elected in 2018 and re-elected without opposition in 2022, she has led transformative innovations, including one of Tennessee's first Register of Deeds mobile apps and a Property Alert system to protect homeowners from fraud. Her office is currently preparing to launch Real ID and passport services for residents in early 2026.
A former two-term Metro Council Member and School Board Member, she was unanimously elected Council President Pro Tempore and helped lead major projects, including Cane Ridge High School, Smith Springs Elementary, the Smith Springs Regional Community Center, Una Recreation Center upgrades, the Southeast Police Precinct, the Ford Ice Center in Antioch, and Nashville's first Civil Rights Art project, developed in partnership with local Civil Rights veterans.
Karen currently serves on the Metro Public Records Commission and holds multiple civic leadership roles, including as a Paul Harris Fellow with the Rotary Club of Nashville, where she was elected by the membership to the Board of Directors (2026–2029). She is also a board member of Sister Cities of Nashville, Historic Fort Negley, and a co-founder of the Tennessee Women's Suffrage Monument. She serves as Chair of the Social Action/Connections Committee for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Delta Omega Chapter; Bylaws Chair for the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Metropolitan Nashville Chapter; Vice President of Membership for the Nashville Women's Breakfast Club and a Charter Member of Black Military Women of Tennessee, Nashville chapter.
Her awards include:
- Nashville Business Journal Woman of Influence
- The Tennessean 40 Under 40
- TSU Woman of Legend and Merit in Government
- Nashville Lifestyles Women in Business Honoree
- Women Who Rock Nashville Political Honoree (2023)
- Nominee – Traditional Athena Award (2021)
- Leadership Trailblazer Finalist – League of Women in Government
- Nashville Chamber Emerging Leader
- Public Service Award – Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Tau Lambda Chapter
Under her leadership, the Register of Deeds Office was named a Best Place to Work in 2021, 2024, and 2025 by the Nashville Business Journal.
A graduate of public schools, Karen holds a BBA from Tennessee State University and an MBA from Trevecca Nazarene University. She is a Certified Public Manager and Certified Public Administrator through the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service and completed the Local Government Leadership Program at UT's Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership.
She is a 2025 graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School's Senior Executives in State and Local Government program, the Rotary Leadership Institute, and the MNPD Community Police Academy. She is also a 2023 graduate of Leadership Middle Tennessee, an alumna of Leadership Nashville, and a graduate of the Young Leaders Council (Class 39), the Yale Campaign School (Yale Law School), Emerge Tennessee, and the Transit Citizen Leadership Academy. She lives in Nashville with her husband, David, a United States Marine Veteran, their French Bulldog named Nala (she/her), and is the proud mother of three sons: Christopher, Jonathan, and Dave Jr.
