Derek
Johnson

CEO, Global Zero

Derek is chief executive of Global Zero, the international movement for a world without nuclear weapons. A strategic communicator working at the intersection of catalytic advocacy, foreign policy, and social change, he has spent the last decade positioning Global Zero as a thought leader, a trusted intermediary among nuclear-armed states, and a provocative advocacy operation. He has a knack for identifying strategic opportunities and the right tactics that can push messages into the mainstream in order to shine a spotlight or apply pressure. In addition to developing organizational strategy and overseeing day-to-day operations, Derek also spearheads special projects—from coordinating sensitive track-1.5 initiatives to producing viral and award-winning creative content.

Derek is a recovering attorney with a background in international law. Before taking the helm at Global Zero, he worked to advance interfaith dialogue at the Parliament of the World’s Religions. He also worked to enhance access to justice, human rights, and rule of law at JUSTICE, the British section of the International Commission of Jurists in London.

I’m most excited to work on projects that… bring together strange bedfellows and break out of echo chambers.

I’m looking for partners that can help me… expand my imagination, tap into public zeitgeist, create compelling content, and channel outrage into action.

A moment when I felt most inspired in my work was… seeing our #NoRedButton campaign break through in the 2016 election, position nuclear dangers front-and-center for the American public during the third and final presidential debate and in the closing weeks of the campaign, and firmly entrench the issue of presidential sole authority all the way through 2020.

Innovations in my field I’m most excited to work on… explicitly name our weaknesses and blindspots, borrow from multiple disciplines, center justice in the work, and incorporate an intersectional approach.

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