Clifford M. Johnson is the executive director of the Institute for Youth, Education, and Families at the National League of Cities (NLC) in Washington, DC. In this role, Johnson leads NLC’s efforts to strengthen the capacity of municipal leaders to meet the needs of children, youth, and families in their communities.

Prior to his appointment as executive director of the institute in 2000, Johnson spent three years as a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities working on the development of innovative approaches to job creation and welfare to work strategies. From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, he served in senior staff positions at the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), including three years as director of CDF’s programs and policy division. At CDF, Johnson led CDF’s work on issues related to youth employment and family economic security, and he played a major role in organizational initiatives focused on adolescent pregnancy prevention.