CDT Welcomes O’Donavan Johnson as Director of Development & External Affairs

(WASHINGTON) The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is pleased to welcome O’Donavan Johnson as its new Director of Development & External Affairs. Johnson joins CDT after leading the Mid-Atlantic region for Princeton University’s Office of Advancement. Before that, he lobbied Illinois state lawmakers as Executive Director of a K-12 education policy organization and led a $70 million capital campaign at the largest Jesuit high school in the U.S.

“I can’t imagine a more exciting place to be given my interest and background at the intersection of civil rights law and technology. CDT is at the forefront of efforts to protect human rights online and it is an honor to help lead engagement strategies and amplify the organization’s impact,” he says.

At Princeton, Johnson raised funds for an Ethics in AI pilot program and partnered with former CDT Board Member Ed Felten, founder of the school’s Center for Information Technology Policy and former White House Deputy Chief Technology Officer.

Johnson holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and philosophy from the College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA) and a Master of Arts in philosophy from DePaul University (Chicago, IL). Born and raised in Chicago, he has lived in Washington, D.C. since 2016 but still laughs when anything less than 10 inches of snow shuts down life in the capital.

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The Center for Democracy & Technology is a 25-year old 501(c)(3) working to promote civil rights and civil liberties in the digital age. Based in Washington, D.C. and Brussels, Belgium, CDT works inclusively across sectors to find tangible solutions to today’s most pressing technology policy challenges. Our team of experts includes lawyers, technologists, academics, and analysts, bringing diverse perspectives to all of our efforts.