The Aspen Institute

Alex T. Johnson is a former diplomat and Obama Administration appointee in national security with expertise in multilateral diplomacy, human rights, health equity, and fundamental freedoms. Mr. Johnson has extensive experience in private philanthropy, international advocacy, as well as facilitating government and civil society partnerships with diverse identity communities. Mr. Johnson spent a decade at the U.S. Helsinki Commission where he advised bicameral and bipartisan contributions to parliamentary diplomacy, culminating his service as chief of staff in the 116th Congress. His tenure included almost four years as representative of the Helsinki Commission at the United States Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna, Austria. Mr. Johnson previously was a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation fellow with the late U.S. Representative Alcee L. Hastings and a consultant for local government initiatives in Portland and Corvallis, Oregon. He is a founding Executive Board Member of fp21, a process-focused think tank driving evidence-based foreign policy formulation, and a Board Member for the Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship. Mr. Johnson is a former Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a 2022 Washingtonian Magazine 500 Most Influential People honoree for his leadership in foreign policy supporting global human rights defenders and international racial justice. His work managing high-profile exchanges and public speaking has taken him to over 70 countries. Mr. Johnson received his BS in natural resources and MPP from Oregon State University.