Erik Johnson, a two-decade veteran of the Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, has been promoted to chief of staff at APL.
The former deputy chief of staff replaced Ron Luman, who retired from the Laurel, Maryland-based research organization in January, and is now responsible for helping the nonprofit’s executive council set its agenda for strategic decision-making, APL said Tuesday.
Johnson previously served as a managing executive within APL’s force projection sector, which pursued system prototyping projects and developed technologies in various areas such as artificial intelligence, hypersonics and autonomy during his tenure at the segment.
In his new capacity, he aims to help the lab position itself to support national requirements over the next two decades.
“The magnitude and scope of the technology breakthroughs our sponsors and warfighters need in this evolving national security environment are daunting,” the APL chief of staff said.
“That puts it on us to answer the call and respond to those challenges.”
Johnson served as assistant weapons officer on the U.S. Navy’s USS Wyoming submarine earlier in his career.
