When Alexis McGill Johnson was young, she dreamed of being an astronaut. Decades later, although her career may not have led her to the moon, it has made an impact just as powerful here on Earth. As the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, Johnson is placed at the forefront of reproductive rights in the United States. She is a changemaker: an American businesswoman and women’s rights advocate who delivers speeches on global stages at the National Democratic Convention and collaborates with the federal government to shape legislation.
On March 13th, the DEIB Women’s Affinity Group had the opportunity to host Johnson for the Women’s History Month assembly. This past summer, Junior Carlyle Muldrow connected with Johnson who attended Princeton with her father. They quickly began conversations about how to introduce Johnson and her perspective to the Poly community. “I felt it was the perfect time to bring her in,” said Muldrow.
Muldrow saw an opportunity to connect Johnson with the Women’s Affinity group in hopes of executing an assembly. The assembly included a Women’s Affinity co-Leaders panel, who asked Johnson various questions.
Johnson’s career began with an academic foundation at Yale and Princeton University, where she earned a BA in politics and MA in political science. At Yale and later Wesleyan University, Johnson developed and taught courses on race, urban development, power, poverty, and social movements. These experiences laid the groundwork for the activism and leadership that she is involved in today.
Johnson began her career at Planned Parenthood in 2013 as a chair member and was promoted to CEO and President in 2020. Since then, she has led the company to extend its impact far beyond abortion services. “Being able to lead a $2 billion healthcare organization — and to do so with the support and credibility that comes from the fact that we’ve served a third of all women in their lifetimes — is incredibly powerful,” said Johnson. The company is a powerhouse in education, advocacy, and political engagement. “We also have a political arm and a lobbying arm — which I also lead,” added Johnson. “Those are the spaces that allow me to talk to politicians, to advocate for certain bills — like not defunding Medicaid.”
During Kamala Harris’s 2025 presidential campaign, Johnson spent over 100 days on the road with Harris’s team. Her work throughout the campaign focused on supporting abortion rights and working one-on-one with her supporters. “All health care is politicized in some way… but sexual and reproductive health care is not only politicized—it’s also stigmatized. And we have to actively engage in politics in order to protect and defend it,” said Johnson.
Earlier in her career, Johnson spent time as a news anchor at Fox News, a traditionally conservative publication. This experience taught Johnson how “if I’m not entering the conversation through the lens of shared values—if I’m not finding that alignment—I’ve already lost the argument with the audience.” For Johnson, her job never felt like a debate to win, but rather an opportunity to learn and speak with viewers. “Sometimes, after an appearance, people would write to me and say things like, ‘I hate everything about you—your clothes, your smile, even how you look—but I agree with you on this one point,’” however, she was able to take this criticism and turn it into expanding her viewpoints, because “it shows that you don’t have to find a full agreement to make a connection.”
Additionally, Johnson is a mother. She has two daughters, ages eight and eleven, who live with her in New York City. Being a mom has created a different perspective on Johnson’s work within the women’s health sector. “They always say— ‘the personal is political,’ It’s about your personal experience- the idea that my mom couldn’t get a checking account without asking my dad for permission. That kind of indignity really drives you. And I think [with daughters] this has become even more personal now.”
Johnson’s career is a testament to the power of using your voice. Whether in a Republican or Democratic setting, she has consistently practiced dialogue over friction, making change one policy, connection, and conversation at a time. Johnson is not only using her position as CEO of Planned Parenthood to shape policy and advocacy. She is shaping the future for women, mothers, and daughters across the country.
