Who we are
Glen Johnson developed a national reputation as a reporter and political analyst before expanding his scope internationally as a senior official in the U.S. Department of State.
Working alongside U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry every day he was in office, Johnson traveled nearly 1.4 million miles to 91 countries as the Secretary negotiated the Iran nuclear agreement, a deal to remove Syria’s chemical weapons, the Paris climate change accord,
n addition, he took over 100,000 photos as the Secretary’s official travel photographer.
As Johnson completed his tenure, Secretary Kerry wrote that there were “no words to express what an essential and terrific part of this team you have been.”
Prior to his four years in public service, Johnson spent 27 years as a reporter. He progressed from the City News Bureau of Chicago through The Salem Evenings News and Lowell Sun newspapers, before working in Boston and Washington for The Associated Press and The Boston Globe.
He covered five presidential campaigns, eight political conventions, and visited all 48 continental states writing spot news and feature stories, and, most recently, shooting video interviews with voters.
and pacts stabilizing the government in Afghanistan and protecting threatened ocean areas.
As Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Strategic Communications, Johnson worked with the State Department Chief of Staff, Spokesperson, and Speechwriter to devise plans for promoting the Secretary’s agenda, build events domestically and abroad highlighting his priorities, and deepen the public’s understanding of the Secretary’s mission through written and visual content.
Johnson managed a “Hometown Diplomacy” program under which the Secretary’s counterparts from Japan, China, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and an array of European countries visited Boston for business meetings leavened with local cultural events and meals prepared by some of the city’s top chefs.
He also organized interviews with major national and international outlets, and coordinated with a digital team to promote the Secretary’s work across all of the Department’s social media platforms.
His final assignment was as Politics Editor for boston.com, writing breaking news for the Globe-owned website, and a weekly print column in the Boston Sunday Globe.