Johanna Chao Kreilick brings more than twenty years of experience leading, governing, and advising mission-driven organizations working at the intersection of climate, science, legal advocacy, and institutional change.

Johanna is currently the Chief Strategy Officer at Blue Ocean Law, a Pacific-led public-interest law firm focused on climate justice, ocean governance, and Indigenous rights. From 2020 to 2023, Johanna served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Union of Concerned Scientists where she led a major organizational transformation and five-year strategy refresh. Johanna has also contributed to interdisciplinary work at the New York University School of Law’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, including as a Senior Fellow, supporting global initiatives focused on governance, rights, and long-term institutional capacity.

Johanna has advised and served on nonprofit boards and worked closely with philanthropies, research institutions, and networks navigating periods of growth, transition, and strategic repositioning. Earlier in her career, she worked as a community organizer alongside smallholder farmers, workers, and informal vendors in the United States and internationally. 

Johanna holds a BA with distinction in Anthropology from Stanford University and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she was named a Lucius N. Littauer Fellow. Johanna also serves on the boards of the MultiSolving Institute and the Zen Center North Shore.