Elijah Johnson, the deputy county executive for human services in Prince William County, Virginia, will begin as acting county executive on Jan. 1, 2022.
Johnson will succeed County Executive Chris Martino, who has retired effective Dec. 31.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Board of Supervisors announced their decision to elevate Johnson’s position.
Johnson will be the county’s first African-American county executive. He said that he was honored and聽“will work to ensure a smooth transition of county services to continue to move the county forward,鈥� Johnson said.
Johnson became deputy county executive in October 2014, two years before Martino began as executive. Martino announced his plans to retire in October.
It’s not known when the position will be filled permanently.
