Erik W. Johnson

Erik W. Johnson is the chief of staff at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). In this role, he is responsible for managing the Laboratory’s strategic decision agenda, guiding policies and operations, and assisting with alignment of internal investment resources to strategic objectives. Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Johnson served as managing executive in APL’s Force Projection Sector, where he led a technical line organization of more than 1,100 staff members and dozens of technical facilities. During his tenure, the sector dramatically increased its system prototyping activities and grew capabilities in areas such as artificial intelligence, autonomy, hypersonics, digital engineering, and reentry systems. Prior to joining the Laboratory in 2000, Mr. Johnson served as program manager for international unmanned air vehicle systems at AAI Corporation. He began his professional career as a U.S. Navy submarine officer. Mr. Johnson earned a B.S. in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University and an M.B.A. from the Johns Hopkins University.