Kirsten Johnson-Obey

Kirsten T. Johnson-Obey is Executive Vice President of Porterfield, Lowenthal & Fettig, LLC, a government relations firm based in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the firm in 2009, Kirsten served as Senior Director of Congressional Relations for Freddie Mac from 2001 to 2008. During her tenure, Johnson-Obey represented Freddie Mac on Capitol Hill on issues ranging from Government Sponsored Enterprise (GSE) regulatory restructuring, corporate governance, insurance issues, privacy/data breach, anti-predatory lending and affordable housing legislation.

Before joining Freddie Mac, Kirsten was professional staff at the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit for six years (1995-2000). Working for the Ranking Member, Representative Bruce F. Vento (MN-04) and the other Members of the Subcommittee, Kirsten played an extensive role in all the policy and legislative matters under the broad jurisdiction of the Subcommittee. She was active in attempts to reform RESPA/TILA Mortgage Disclosures, financial privacy, electronic disclosures, CDFI reauthorization, GSE/housing issues, and financial services modernization efforts for six years — which ultimately led to the enactment of the Gramm Leach Bliley Act — among other issues.

Prior to work on the Subcommittee, Kirsten worked as Legislative Director and in other legislative positions for Congressman Vento from 1987 to 1994. In this capacity, she managed his housing issues, including the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act reauthorization (now renamed the McKinney Vento Act).

A native of Minnesota, Kirsten graduated with B.A. degrees in International Relations and Political Science from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.