Lionel Skipwith ("Skip") Johns


Mr. Lionel Johns is the Associate Director for Technology in the Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) within the Executive Office of the President. He reports to Dr. John Gibbons, Director of OSTP and Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. At OSTP, Mr. Johns is responsible for Technology R&D policy coordination between Federal agencies. These activities, coordinated through the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), include space and aeronautics, industrial R&D, defense conversion, information and communications (including "the information superhighway"), and education and training technologies. He serves as White House Co-Chair of three NSTC committees: Information and Communication R&D, Civilian Industrial Technology R&D, and Transportation R&D. Prior to joining OSTP, Mr. Johns served as Assistant Director of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), which was created in the Legislative Branch to provide the U.S. Congress with objective non-partisan analysis of major public issues related to the development and use of Technology. Mr. Johns' Division at OTA was responsible for the analysis of industrial competitiveness, quality of the work force, energy, materials, national security, space, and international technology transfer and trade. Mr. Johns has 16 years in management in high technology industries. He gained them at Ocean Science and Engineering, Inc. Hazeltine Corporation, the Magnavox Company, and General Instrument Corporation. He worked on projects involving the design, development, and production of radars, communications, sonar, and command and control systems, Marine experience included management and sales of ship design, ship operations, mineral exploration, and ocean engineering systems. Mr. Johns also spent several years in corporate finance at Alex Brown & Sons. Immediately upon earning his Bachelor os Science degree from the University of Virginia, he served as an officer in the United States Navy as a carrier-based naval aviator. He has participated in numerous international meetings in Asia, Europe, and Africa on arms control, energy, trade, and third world development. Mr. Johns is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Serves on the Critical Technologies Subcouncil of the Competitiveness Policy Council. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.