Marilyn Johnson

Senior Consultant

Health Management Associates

Atlanta, GA

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With more than 15 years of experience in public health and healthcare, Marilyn Johnson supports a range of initiatives across public sector and healthcare environments, specializing in program design, assessment, and implementation. Her work focuses on helping organizations design, assess, and implement programs that align with service delivery, regulatory requirements, and funding structures, and that can be effectively executed in real-world settings.

Before joining HMA, Marilyn held senior leadership roles in state public health departments, leading statewide programs focused on maternal and child health, women’s health, and reproductive health. Her experience includes overseeing program operations, managing state and federal requirements, and leading efforts to improve how services are delivered at the provider and community level. She has worked closely with internal teams and external partners to implement program changes, strengthen service delivery, and address gaps in access and coordination.

At Health Management Associates (HMA), Marilyn leads and supports client engagements as a project manager and senior team member, coordinating workstreams, managing day-to-day execution, and working directly with clients to keep projects aligned and moving forward. She is frequently engaged on projects involving public health system assessment, program design and implementation, workforce planning, and operational improvement. Her work includes supporting state agencies, healthcare providers, and community-based organizations in turning strategic priorities into approaches that can be implemented in practice.

Her subject matter expertise includes maternal and child health programs, including perinatal and early childhood services, children and youth with special healthcare needs, and adolescent health, as well as reproductive health and public health systems. She brings experience in program design, service delivery improvement, regulatory alignment, and operational planning, including compliance and credentialing-related activities, as well as Medicaid billing, coding, and reimbursement. Her work also includes federally qualified health center (FQHC) and look-alike readiness, 340B-related operations, and healthcare access initiatives.

Marilyn uses both quantitative and qualitative data to guide decision-making, assess program performance, and support planning efforts. She has led statewide and local needs assessments, worked with administrative and program data, and translated findings into practical recommendations that organizations can implement within existing constraints.

Marilyn earned her Master of Business Administration and bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Ashford University.