After 16 years working as a teacher at the Montgomery County R-II School District, Sara Johnson decided to try something new.

The Montgomery City resident found it as the new agent of American Family Insurance in Montgomery City. She was recently appointed as agent, replacing Jackie Brower. The AFI office, located at 303 North Sturgeon, will be now called the Sara Johnson Agency.

“My goals are to continue serving our current customers as best we can, hopefully expanding Montgomery County and beyond and continue giving back to our community,” Johnson said.

Rodney Devlin, who is a sales district leader for American Family Insurance and worked as an agent at the Montgomery City office, appointed Johnson as agent. He said he believes that Johnson will be an agent who will protect the dreams and opportunities of all families she will be serving.

“We are proud to have Sara Johnson as the new face of our local American Family Insurance agency,” Devlin said in a statement. “Her passion for education has seamlessly transitioned into a passion for protection. With Sara, our community can rest assured that the dreams we cherish and the lives we build are in capable hands.”

Johnson comes into her new job with plenty of corporate America experience. She worked in the science industry for eight years, Kraft Oscar Mayer for seven years and an ethanol plant in Laddonia for nine months.

“I’m used to dealing with not only corporate America, but teaching,” Johnson said. “I’m used to dealing with a whole variety of people. When I worked in corporate America, I was a supervisor. I got to meet some very interesting people and learned all kinds of things about business.”

Johnson graduated from Montgomery County High School in 1995. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in 1999 and a Master’s degree 10 years later, both from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Johnson started working as a high school science teacher at the R-II School District in 2007. She stayed with the district until 2023, the same year her daughter, Cora, graduated from Montgomery County High School. She took a break from working until she found out about the opening at American Family Insurance.

“I found out in mid-February,” Johnson said. “I was contacted and was asked if I would be interested. I was like, ‘Yes.’ It sounds like the perfect new thing. Between mid-February and now, I did my licensing exams and I got licensed.”

Johnson shares the Montgomery City office with Michele Taylor, who is an insurance specialist and has been working at AFI for 15 years.

Johnson said with her new job, she will continue to build relationships with the Montgomery County community.

“Obviously, I miss my former co-workers, my teachers and all of the kids,” said Johnson, who has lived in Montgomery County all of her life. “But by living here, I still get to see and interact with them. It’s kind of like the donkey basketball (event) on April 7. I’m still interacting with all of them, which is awesome. Now, I’m interacting with the community in a different way at this point, which I’m super excited about.”