Staff Biographies

Bill Johnston
President/Chief Executive Officer

Bill Johnston is leading the Institute in a period of unparalleled growth in programs and activities, staffing, and competencies. As a result, the Institute’s public profile is on the rise, and it has formed a number of significant partnerships with entities such as the US Agency for International Development, Annenberg Foundation, and Discovery Communications.

Mr. Johnston oversees a staff of 300 in the US and Africa, and works closely with Dr. Goodall. JGI directors and advisors include prominent scientists, business and corporate leaders and celebrities.

He is available to speak on a number of issues such as nonprofit management, cause-related marketing, and global brands. His signature talk, a multimedia presentation, is titled “Surviving and Thriving in the Nonprofit Jungle: What the Chimpanzees Have Taught Me.” He also can address the work of Dr. Jane Goodall, public policy in conservation, the role of communities in successful conservation initiatives, the issue of chimpanzees in entertainment, and the role of sanctuaries in primate conservation.

He has served as the executive director of the Conservation Campaign, an organization dedicated to promoting public funding for U.S. parks and open space. He was a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, served as Assistant Secretary of Transportation Policy under President Jimmy Carter and also served as a member of the White House policy staff. He joined the Carter Administration from the George Washington University Center for Social Policy Studies, where he was a research fellow.

Mr. Johnston is a graduate of Yale University.

To inquire about engaging Mr. Johnston as a speaker, please Contact Nona Gandelman.