Elissa  Johnson

Elissa Johnson is the Vice President of External Affairs and Impact at FWD.us, where she leads the organization’s communications and digital portfolio and works in close partnership with key audiences to advance our immigration and criminal justice priorities.
At FWD.us, Elissa previously developed advocacy and campaign tactics to reduce incarceration in some of the country’s highest incarcerating jurisdictions. Prior to joining FWD.us, Elissa was an attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), for eight years working on state policy campaigns and impact litigation related to prison conditions, juvenile justice, education, immigration detention, and other civil rights issues. She clerked for the U.S. District Court Judge Carlton W. Reeves in the Southern District of Mississippi. Elissa received her undergraduate degree in English and Sociology from Fisk University and a Master’s in Social Work and law degree from Loyola University Chicago.