Ms. Johns joined the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System in June 2011 and is an experienced private markets investor, senior portfolio manager and leader in the U.S. public pension and broader institutional investor community. Ms. Johns has over 15 years of experience investing and managing a multi-billion global portfolio of institutional alternative investment assets. She has deep expertise in private equity and highly developed personal network with established top performing private equity fund managers and next generation managers. Ms. Johns has a demonstrated long-term track record for selecting and managing a strong performing private equity portfolio. She is committed to supporting discourse and initiatives focused on the thoughtful advancement of private markets investing and creating pathways to inclusion for underrepresented talent in private equity.
In 2021 Ms. Johns was recognized by Institutional Investor as one of the Global Top 50 Women in Investment Management. Ms. Johns is co-CEO of the Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN), and a member of ILPA’s Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Council, AIF Women’s Leadership Steering Committee and the SEO Alternative Investments Limited Partner Advisory Council. PEWIN awarded Maryland with the 2020 Limited Partner of the Year award highlighting Ms. Johns’ work in transforming the private equity industry with a focus on diversity and inclusion. Continuously invited to key note at investment conferences and forums including the AIF Institute Global Investor Series, Big Path Impact Capitalism Summit, Labaton Sucharow Women’s Initiative Forum, AIMSE Conference, Investment Institute, Women’s Private Equity and Alternative Investment Summits, GCM Grosvenor Consortium, Markets Group Private Equity US Forum, Kayo Private Equity Conference, Pension Bridge, Emerging Manager Connect, Equity Summit, Hispanic Heritage Foundation Investor Group, Institutional Investor Private Equity Summit, SEO and NVCA. Most recent panel topics included private equity terms & trends, portfolio construction, developing fund managers, diverse fund managers, diversity and inclusion, and venture capital.
Ms. Johns has both a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Indiana University Bloomington and a B.S. in Computer Info Systems, Magna Cum Laude from Stevenson University. She graduated from Loyola University Maryland with a Master’s in Finance, cum laude while working full time as an associate at Camden Private Capital, a private equity fund of funds. She has completed the ILPA Institute’s Private Equity Executive Education program.