Ambassador David Johnson has over 30 years of experience in diplomacy. Most recently, the Ambassador served as assistant secretary of state for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affair, in which role he was responsible for conceiving, securing and executing U.S programs to counter narcotics trafficking. In this leadership position, he also developed criminal justice systems abroad and led a team of more than 4,000 employees worldwide.
Prior to serving as assistant secretary of state, Ambassador Johnson was Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in London. In this role, he managed relations with one of the United States’ most important allies and led a staff of 1,000 within 40 different operating units, which included virtually every U.S. agency that operates aboard.
From 1995-2003, Ambassador Johnson served in several other notable positions, including chief foreign policy spokesperson for President Clinton. Chief issues he faced included the Dayton Accords and Balkans military deployments, Korean nuclear issues, Asian economic relations and crisis, NATO expansion and allegations concerning foreign campaign contributions. During this period, Ambassador Johnson also served as U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He was also United States Afghan Coordinator, responsible for policy conception and implementation, resource allocation and coordinator efforts by all U.S. Government agencies in Afghanistan.
Ambassador Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Emory University. He is a member-elect of the United Nations' International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).
