Dr. Johnson is the Director for the International Outreach and Policy (IO&P) office in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Research and Engineering).  She is the principal advisor to the USD(R&E) and OUSD(R&E) senior leadership on matters concerning International engagement, defense strategy and policy.  The IO&P office acts as the single point of contact within OUSD(R&E) on international and national defense policy matters that fall within the scope of OUSD(R&E).  She joined OUSD(R&E) in August 2018 from the U.S. Department of State where she was the Senior Advisor for Space Policy, Office of Emerging Security Challenges, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance (AVC/ESC).  At State she was responsible for providing analysis and expert advice on national security space policy and issues in support of the Department’s strategic and foreign policy objectives and implementing U.S. national space policy via U.S. interagency deliberations, bilateral space security dialogues with allies and space partners, and at multilateral fora including the Conference on Disarmament and the UN Disarmament Commission.   
 
Dr. Johnson’s earlier career experience includes space and missile defense analysis at Northrop Grumman’s Corporate Analysis Center; national security research at RAND; national security space policy and operations at Rockwell International; and as a diplomatic historian at the Department of State.  Dr. Johnson is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and George Washington University, teaching classes on space policy.  She has a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Southern California, an M.A. in International Studies from The American University, and an A.B. in Government from the University of Redlands, and has written and contributed to numerous books, monographs, and presentations.