Lionel C. Johnson

President
Pacific Pension & Investment Institute (PPI)

Lionel C. Johnson has been president of the Pacific Pension & Investment Institute since July 2014, guiding the organization’s mission to bring together global investment leaders for discussions on the challenges faced by institutional investors in Asia, the Pacific Rim, and around the world. Under his leadership, PPI has enhanced its reputation as a leading forum for pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and endowments managing $25 trillion in assets.

Johnson offers four decades of leadership in international business, public policy, and sustainable development. He currently serves as Professor of Practice in International Relations at Syracuse University's Maxwell School, chairman of the sustainable chemical startup Sudoc, and a board member of RAND Corporation, SkyTruth, and Oxfam America. 

His extensive government service includes serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Development, Debt, and Environment Policy during the Clinton Administration, as well as being a senior advisor to Secretary of State Warren Christopher and a special assistant to Secretaries of State George P. Shultz and James A. Baker III. As a U.S. Foreign Service officer, he served in Haiti, the Philippines, and Kenya.

In the private sector, Johnson held senior roles at Citigroup (International Government Affairs), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Turkey, Middle East, and North Africa Affairs), Fleishman-Hillard (Public Affairs), and the Initiative for Global Development. 

Johnson earned his B.A. in political science from Rutgers University and has taught U.S. foreign policy at the City University of Manila.