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Derwin Johnson

Derwin Johnson is an independent senior communication consultant with more than 30 years experience as a journalist, communication executive and educator. He advises clients how to anticipate media conduct and drives local, national and international media relations campaigns. Mr. Johnson conducts messaging, media and presentation training workshops, enabling clients to hone and deliver messages effectively to internal and external audiences.

Mr. Johnson provides strategic and tactical guidance and is counsel to financial service firms, law firms, governments and Fortune 500 companies representing a wide range of industries, including airline, professional services, technology, pharmaceutical, health care, hospitality and beauty and fashion.

Prior to becoming an independent consultant Mr. Johnson was a senior vice president at APCO Worldwide. Before joining APCO he was a principal at Vistance Group, a corporate and financial communication firm he co-founded in 2001. In addition, he was U.S. director of media and communications training for Hill and Knowlton, one of the largest global public relations companies.

Mr. Johnson spent seven years at Columbia University as associate professor at the Graduate School of Journalism – teaching RW1 (Reporting and Writing One) the school’s core course and advising student masters’ projects. He also co-taught a weekly, two-day Nightly News Reporting workshop.

As a professional journalist Mr. Johnson served as Middle East bureau chief for both CNN and ABC News headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon and Cairo, Egypt. He traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and Western Europe covering politics,
business and events of violence and unrest.

He was a member of Vice President George H. W. Bush’s traveling press corps and broadcast producer for ABC News’ World News
This Morning and Good Morning America news. He has produced segments for numerous other television news shows, including World News Tonight,
Nightline and 20/20. Mr. Johnson was the lead pool producer for the American broadcast networks for the Persian Gulf War based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
He was also senior producer for PBS’ pilot series Imaging America.

Mr. Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs from Syracuse University’s School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
and he studied graduate journalism at Boston University. He is a University of Michigan Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellow.

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