Gov. John Kitzhaber's Top Spokeswoman Leaves After Six Months on the Job

Nkenge Harmon Johnson
By AARON MESH

Gov. John Kitzhaber has shaken up his public-relations staff: His top spokeswoman is gone from his office in the midst of a re-election campaign.

Nkenge Harmon Johnson has left her job as Kitzhaber's communications director just six months after she was hired. Officials from the governor's office won't discuss her departure, or who is replacing her.

"Nkenge is no longer working in the governor's office," says press secretary Melissa Navas. "We don't comment on personnel issues. This is all the information I have for you at this time."

Harmon Johnson's arrival in Kitzhaber's office was announced last December with fanfare: She's an African-American woman with policy chops honed in Washington, D.C.—including a stint as Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representative.

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