Elena Johnston is a public affairs manager in the Washington, DC office, where she works on communications and digital strategy for a range of clients. Elena has professional experience in corporate communications, government affairs, energy policy, and international relations. Notably, she served as the Outreach Specialist at the US Agency for International Development’s Bureau of the Middle East and as the Junior Communications Specialist at USAID’s Bureau of Europe and Eurasia, where she played a key role in advancing the agency’s legislative outreach and strategic communications initiatives on critical foreign policy issues. She is the recipient of a USAID Superior Honor Award for extraordinary efforts supporting Ukraine in confronting Russia’s illegal war of aggression. She also previously worked at Silverline Communications, developing public relations campaigns in the renewable energy and clean tech space, earning top-tier media placements for clients. Elena is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in International Communication from American University’s School of International Service, where she is engaged in academic research focused on the intersection of crisis communications, public diplomacy, and humanitarian response. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies and Communications from Loyola University Maryland, with a specialization in Public Relations.