Theodore R. Johnson Joins New America as Senior Advisor to Executive Leadership

Washington, D.C.—New America is pleased to announce that Theodore (Ted) R. Johnson has joined New America as senior advisor to the Executive Office and lead of the US@250 Initiative, ​​creating a cohort of US@250 Fellows and working with partner organizations to establish a broader US@250 consortium. A public policy scholar and military veteran, Johnson is a leading voice on critical issues of race, politics, and the American identity.

In his role at New America, Johnson will serve as an advisor to the Executive Office on a range of policy, strategy, advocacy, and operational matters that ultimately advance the mission and impact of the organization. He will also lead New America’s US@250 Initiative, which will use 2026 as a moment of reflecting on, reckoning with, and honoring different dimensions of the 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, while imagining and aspiring to a better America over the next 250 years. Johnson will also lead the launch and selection of the US@250 Fellows, five or more Fellows per year whose work will advance the mission of the Initiative. He will also work with partner organizations to establish a broader US@250 consortium that can build momentum for and catalyze both reckoning and renewal.

Johnson brings extensive experience as both a scholar and practitioner. Most recently, he served as the senior director of the Fellows Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law. Previously, he was a 2017 National Fellow at New America and a Commander in the United States Navy, serving for twenty years in a variety of positions, including as a White House Fellow in the first Obama administration and as speechwriter to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His work on race relations has appeared in prominent national publications, including New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, among others. He is the author of When the Stars Begin to Fall: Overcoming Racism and Renewing the Promise of America.

“Ted is a visionary leader who brings a deep passion for New America’s mission,” said New America Chief Executive Officer Anne-Marie Slaughter. “We are thrilled to welcome him back as a leader, thinker, and writer on the frontlines of imagining the new America and a new American patriotism.”

“I am delighted to welcome Ted back to New America,” said New America President and Chief Transformation Officer Paul E. Butler. “We look toward 2026 as an important moment for reflection and reimagination, and as we move to co-create the next 250 years of a more equitable and inclusive America, Ted will be a key player in advancing our mission.”

“I am excited to join New America and look forward to continuing the work of making our union a little more perfect,” said New America Senior Advisor Ted Johnson. “Our national story has room for both pride in our country as well as reckoning with its past, and New America is the perfect place for the undertaking.”

Johnson holds a doctorate of law and policy from Northeastern University, a master’s degree from Harvard University, and a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University.