Charisse Conanan Johnson, CFA, is a nonresident senior fellow with Brookings Metro.
Johnson’s career has been focused on wealth creation, racial equity, and small business.
She is currently co-CEO and board member at Next Street, a B Corp that provides solutions for institutions to ensure that small businesses, especially those that have been systemically held back, get the right resources at the right time. In her role as co-CEO since 2020, Johnson is responsible for stewarding the firm to deliver on its mission to help small businesses reach their potential. While Johnson has executive oversight over revenue management, people and& culture, finance and accounting, and operations, she also works daily to represent Next Street externally and ensure the firm hits its financial and impact metrics, attracts and retains the best talent, and lives into its values. Prior to serving as co-CEO, Johnson was head of the Advisory Practice, where she led the unit to provide consulting solutions for institutional clients nationwide, specializing in building inclusive small business ecosystems. Johnson started at the firm in December 2015, assuming a mandate to start and grow the firm’s Chicago office.
Johnson is also author of “A Wealthy Girl: 7 Steps to Prosperity, Peace, and Personal Power.” In the book, Johnson espouses that your wealth is beyond what sits in your bank account—it embodies your relationships, your craft, and your faith. You don’t have to be old, rich, male, or white to be wealthy. Her book’s philosophy is rooted in the wealth-building strategies she provides on the Charisse Says platform, which she created in 2014. Through the Charisse Says platform, Johnson is also a sought-after public speaker and TV personality. She has pursued a life of purpose by investing in financial markets, teaching, building businesses, and stepping out on faith. Prior to launching the Charisse Says platform, Johnson was founder and CEO of Smarteys.com, a web app that helped college graduates manage their finances.
In her first job after college, Johnson rose to vice president at J.P. Morgan Asset Management in New York. She conducted stock market research as a generalist, and her research covered 18% of the $10 billion J.P. Morgan Mid Cap Value Fund. Johnson is also a CFA charterholder.
Johnson is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She resides in Charlotte, N.C. with her husband, George, and two daughters, Gabrielle and Cheyanne, and comes from a long lineage of impactful family members.