Ben Johnson joined the White House staff in 1993 as an Associate Director in the Office of Public Liaison. He has served as Special Assistant to the President, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison. He now serves as Assistant to the President and Director of the White House office on the President's Initiative for One America.

He brings over two decades of nationally recognized leadership skills and experience in management and public policy to his position. Mr. Johnson has served in both the Carter White House and the Clinton White House. Under President Carter, he served as Director of Consumer Programs and was instrumental in helping consumer advocates get food labeling information on food products.

The Office of Public Liaison is charged with facilitating advice and policy guidance for the Administration's initiatives, as well as building support for Presidential priorities. In his capacity as Special Assistant to the President, Mr. Johnson served as the White House point person responsible for all areas of outreach to the African American community. As Deputy Assistant to the President, his portfolio covered all areas of outreach to various constituencies, including Seniors, Hispanics, Jewish, White Ethnics and members of the Disability Community.

Before joining the Administration, Mr. Johnson served in a number of positions in the District of Columbia Government. From l983 to l987, he served as Administrator of the Business Regulation Administration. In that capacity he was responsible for issuing all business and alcohol beverage control licenses, overseeing health inspections of all food establishments and regulating corporations doing business in the District of Columbia. In l988, he was named the Administrator of the Housing and Environmental Administration and was responsible for governing all housing and environmental laws in the nation's capitol. Mr. Johnson is the recipient of numerous awards, including an honorary doctorate degree for public service.

Mr. Johnson also has a background in credit union organizing and management. In the late seventies he was heavily involved in establishing community based credit unions across the US. Additionally, he served as the director of a community development credit union institute, which was run by the National Center For Urban Ethnic Affairs. He later served as Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Board of the National Credit Union Administration.

Mr. Johnson was raised in South Bend, Indiana, but has resided in Washington, DC. the past 21 years. He is married Jacqueline Johnson and is the father of four sons and one daughter.