A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, Mark Coolidge Johnson began his role as Deputy Executive Secretary in 2021 in the office of the Secretary of State. In this role, he facilitates internal coordination on Western Hemisphere, Middle Eastern, and African affairs, as well as with the Strategic Policy, Legal, and Political-Military and Arms Control bureaus. Mark oversees the Operations Center charged with crisis management operations, communications, and monitoring of global events. He briefs the Secretary of State and other Department senior officials to ensure coordination with the international community.
Mark has extensive experience in the Americas. As Director of Andean Affairs, Mark oversaw and implemented U.S. policy for Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia from 2019-21. While Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy San Salvador from 2016 to 2019, he led the strategic development and operations focusing on stemming irregular migration, increasing development, economic opportunity, and transparency, countering narcotics trafficking, and improving citizen security. Previously, Mark served as Spokesman at U.S. Embassy Mexico City, guiding agencies and working with Mexican governmental, civil, and private sector partners to create campaigns and messaging through traditional and social media to support shared security initiatives, migration, and other law enforcement and economic objectives.
Mark was the Economic Section Chief in the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem, and Economic Officer in London, where he ran the terrorist finance group with U.S. and UK law enforcement and intelligence, successfully helping the UK strengthen its sanctions laws. As the Deputy Political/Economic Counselor in Sofia, Bulgaria, Mark pressed American interests in trade, energy, telecoms, and other areas. He also served in Washington on the Secretary of State’s Executive Secretariat Staff and in embassies Madrid, Guatemala City, and Buenos Aires. Mark joined the Department of State in 1993 and has served on four continents.
Prior to joining State, Mark worked in politics and government in New York State. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College in 1987, and a Juris Doctorate from American University in 1992. Mark is married and has three children.
