Naomi Johnson
Naomi Johnson is a hospitality and accounting professional with more than eight years of experience in the food and beverage industry, currently serving in leadership roles with Sodexo Live!. Based in Detroit, she specializes in hospitality management, cash operations, accounts payable, vendor relations, and event support within high-volume convention and entertainment environments. Her hands-on leadership style, combined with expertise in both front-of-house and back-of-house operations, allows her to deliver exceptional guest experiences while maintaining strong operational efficiency.
Throughout her career, Naomi has built a reputation for professionalism, organization, and team-focused leadership. In her current role as Sr. Accountant Manager and Accounts Payable/Cash Room Supervisor, she oversees cash room operations, event accounting, inventory management, vendor coordination, and staff supervision. Known for being highly self-motivated and resourceful, she successfully taught herself key accounting and operational processes, developed department training materials, and implemented structured systems that earned recognition from auditors for outstanding organization and compliance standards. She also brings additional experience from leadership positions with Compass Group and the City of Farmington Hills, where she supervised catering, concessions, banquet operations, and bar services.
Naomi is currently pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Accounting and Business Management at Oakland Community College, building on her educational background in Culinary Arts and Related Services. Passionate about leadership development, she believes effective leadership comes from collaboration, mentorship, and working alongside teams rather than micromanaging from a distance. Her outgoing personality, commitment to continuous growth, and dedication to creating positive workplace cultures make her a strong asset within the hospitality and business management industries.
• Licensed by the State of Michigan for Life Insurance
• Oakland Community College
• Liturgical Dance Ministry at Church
• Rooted Ministry at Church
• Community Day Events
• Visiting Group Homes for Elderly
• Sorting Medical Supplies for Military and Underserved Areas
• Food Pantry Outreach to Homeless
What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my success to God, because I've been through so much in my life that I would never think I would be where I'm at now. I remember just coming fresh out of high school, going into college, trying to figure out with a lot of personal things going on, where is my life going to be? And through it all that I've been through, God has always been here and still is. Everything that I've done, I've just stepped out on faith, even when I was scared. I went back to college in my 20s, and that was a very hard thing for me to do because I was scared. I didn't know if I was going to succeed. I hadn't been in school in several years. But I went through it, I pushed, and I passed. I didn't drop a class, I didn't fail a class, I had a 3.3 grade point average and made the Dean's list almost every year I was in college. I'm really big on failing forward - it's okay if you fail, but you have to get up and keep moving forward. I didn't fail while I was in college, but I failed at some things in life that helped me grow to be who I am, and I didn't stay there. I'm really big on telling people, when things happen, if you need to cry during that moment, you do that, but you do it in that moment, and you stop, you get up, and you keep pushing and moving, because time doesn't wait for you.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice that I have received is never say no. Try it. If you don't... you never know... if an opportunity presents itself, you never know what the opportunity is going to be like unless you try it. Because you never know that the opportunity that you're gonna say no to just may work in your favor to be great for you to do. When you don't say no to things and you leave opportunity open, you never know what type of doors that'll open either.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do not give up. If you fall or fail, whatever you do, you get back up and you keep moving and keep pushing. And everyone is not going to be in your corner, but just know that you are your biggest competition, no one else. The road is not gonna be easy, but you will push through it. And when you push through it, you're gonna look back and smile and say, you did it. I also tell people that you're going to always be a student in life. You never stop being a student when you come out of any type of school. You continue to keep growing. Pick up a book and read it. What can you do to help yourself? What can you do to help create yourself a great lifestyle? Always continue to be a student. Even when someone goes to a new job, don't act like you know everything, act like you know nothing, because everything is different. And no matter how old you get, do not forget the child in you. You gotta have that child, because if you don't, you'll go through life just bored and have all that stress on you. Let the child in you come alive. Do something fun, active.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In my personal life, I'm really big on loyalty and honesty. Loyalty allows me to show respect for someone and allows me to trust you. In my work life, I value good moral character and being very ethical. I have no problem speaking up when I need to speak up with certain things. But doing the right thing goes for both personal and work life. I'm really big on character. I always tell people it doesn't matter what a person says about you, you know who you are, and others who do know who you are, that's all that matters. People are gonna say any and everything about you that's not gonna be true, but it doesn't stop you from continuing to be who you are.