Cliff Johnson
Cliff Johnson is the executive director of the Institute for Youth, Education, and Families at the National League of Cities (NLC). In this role, Mr. Johnson is leading NLC's efforts to strengthen the capacity of municipal leaders to meet the needs of children, youth, and families in their communities. The Institute is working in five core program areas: education, youth development, early childhood development, the safety of children and youth, and family economic security. Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Johnson was a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities working on the development of new approaches to job creation and innovative welfare to work strategies. For more than a decade, he served in senior staff positions at the Children's Defense Fund (CDF), including three years as director of the Programs and Policy Division. Mr. Johnson also led CDF's work on youth employment and family economic security, and adolescent pregnancy prevention. Mr. Johnson began his career as a legislative aide in the U.S. House of Representatives. He co-authored two books on labor and social policy while serving as a research associate with the late Sar Levitan at George Washington University's Center for Social Policy Studies. Mr. Johnson received a bachelor’s from Princeton University and a master's in public policy from George Washington University.
