Ambassador Johnson has served as President of Allen F. Johnson & Associates (AFJ) since founding the company in 2005. AFJ has been involved in business and consulting activities in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa for companies, business associations, and the U.S. government and international organizations. Activities include all aspects of business activity such as strategic planning, business and market assessments, economic and trade analysis, legal and regulatory issues, commercial and trade servicing, and complex trouble shooting and problem solving for clients and partners.

From April 2001 until September of 2005, Ambassador Johnson was the longest serving Ambassador and Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the United States at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in the Executive Office of the President. He was a key architect and core player in advancing the most active trade agenda in U.S. history. In this cabinet deputy level position, he had global responsibilities and handled the most complex, sensitive, and essential trade policy issues. As part of this role, he worked closely with the Economic, Trade, Foreign, and Agriculture Ministers in virtually every country of interest to the United States. He was responsible for directing all U.S. agricultural and food related negotiations including globally in the World Trade Organization (WTO), regionally in the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and all bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) with various countries and groups of countries such as the three Andean countries, Australia, Bahrain, five Central American countries, Chile, Dominican Republic, Morocco, Panama, Singapore, the five South African Customs Union (SACU) countries, and Thailand. He closed free trade agreements with 12 countries on five continents and made important advances in FTA negotiations that were finished after he left office. Ambassador Johnson was also responsible for WTO accession negotiations and for resolving difficult bilateral issues and disputes, including issues related to new technologies, sanitary and phytosanitary problems, subsidies, and tariff and nontariff barriers. This work required coordination with many other U.S. government agencies with international responsibilities and programs in creating federal rules and policies regarding international food and agriculture trade, Members of Congress from both political parties, and private sector interests.

Before being nominated, Mr. Johnson was the Executive Vice President (EVP) of a management services company called Hauck & Associates in Washington, DC, for seven years. As a senior partner, he was involved in all aspects of the executive management of the company which engaged in national and international association management with clients in agriculture and food processing, entertainment, financial and other services, government relations, healthcare, intellectual property, and manufacturing. He led the business development efforts that resulted in the company's relationship with its largest new clients. In addition, while serving as EVP, he also managed the most important accounts for the company, serving as President of the National Oilseed Processors Association and President of the American Coke and Coal Chemicals Institute, covering all these clients' needs and issues, foreign and domestic 

Before Hauck and Associates Mr. Johnson was a consultant for a general management and strategic consulting firm called Marakon Associates in Palo Alto, California. He worked in the U.S. and Latin America for high-tech, consumer food products and pharmaceutical companies in evaluating client needs, recommending solutions, and assisting in the integration of these new strategies into their operations.

Before Marakon, Mr. Johnson also served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of several organizations, including leading the Iowa soybean growers association and promotion board. 

Mr. Johnson also worked in the U.S. Senate for Senator Charles Grassley as his agricultural, environmental, and trade legislative assistant covering many issues including the development of the farm bill. 

Over the last 30 years Mr. Johnson has served in leadership roles in political and policy areas on the local, state, national, and international level. He also has worked on and supported several Presidential, Senate, and House campaigns and candidates, as well as being active in several state level campaigns. 

He has a Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and a Master in Food Research degree from Stanford University in California. His undergraduate degree is in Business Administration from George Mason University in Virginia. He grew up working on farms in Long Grove, Iowa.