Todd Johannessen retired from the Central Intelligence Agency after twenty-six years in analysis and operations where he covered a range of issues from Eastern Europe to counterterrorism to South Asia. He served overseas twice working counterterrorism and analysis in Europe. Todd moved into the management ranks and retired after running the Agency's strategic program that placed analysis in the field. He was a foundational member of the CIA's LGBTQ+ employee resource group ANGLE and was named to Out in National Security's 2023 Out Leaders list. Prior to the Agency he also worked as a contractor at the Department of Energy's nuclear material security program. He is an alum of George Washington University's Security Policy Studies program (M.A. '95) and American University (B.A. '92). Since retiring he has served as a consultant and professorial lecturer.
When did you realize you wanted an international career?
I grew up in a neighborhood where most of my neighbors had immigrated to the United States shortly after World War II, so I was exposed to different languages and cultures from an early age. I went to a military high school and was exposed to the idea of public service early – and was fascinated when a State Department Foreign Service Officer alumnus came to speak during my junior year. After that there was no question. During my undergraduate studies, I interned twice with the Department of State and was exposed to not just the life of a diplomat, but the full range of U.S. Government options in international relations.
What course are you currently teaching and what do you hope students take away from the course?
I teach the online section of IAFF 6165 Fundamentals of the U.S. Intelligence Community and lean hard on my 26 years of experience as a CIA officer doing analysis, operations, and management. I hope my students take away that all U.S. Government international affairs activities are part of a bigger ecosystem of competing demands – budgets, personnel, domestic and international political considerations, our alliances, our laws, our values, our wide range of national interests – all require compromise and dialogue. It's not easy, it's not straightforward, and it's never completely settled.
How does your past professional experience inform your teaching at the Elliott School?
I think that's twofold. First off, one of the major things I can point to in my career as a legacy is the impact and impression I left on the junior officers I led and mentored as well as impact on me of mentorship from those who led me. Anyone can learn the substance and the "how something is supposed to work" from just reading a book. But things don't work as they are supposed to because international relations, governments, and intelligence are all human endeavors. They change, they evolve, and they rely on human relationships and nature. So I think my experiences help put a reality check to what would otherwise be theory and concept. Secondly, I taught at the CIA's analytic academy and loved it and loved being in management and leadership positions where I could mentor people, so I would like to think I take a marked "servant leader" approach to this course – I try to be there for the students to answer questions, enable future career options, and just help them think through the issues and opportunities that a career in intelligence can bring.
What do you most value about your experience at the Elliott School?
There's two ways to answer this question – the first is from my time as a graduate student. I appreciated that so many of my professors were professionals in their fields – they worked at the Pentagon, think tanks, the State Department, the National Security Council, or on the Hill. A professor who also taught at another university in another city noted that being in Washington, Elliott School students were exposed to the gritty reality of how government actually works in ways that are not apparent outside the Beltway. The second way is from my time teaching – I have learned so much from my students who are working or part of other parts of the U.S. or foreign governments that I feel like I am as much enrolled as they are. I love that.
What TV show have you most enjoyed in the last year?
I'm a huge science fiction and fantasy nerd – my students could see my action figures and roleplaying game books in the background of our online classes. I absolutely love The Tales of Vox Machina. Vox Machina is an animated show – definitely not for kids – about an epic quest in a fantasy realm, but also shows how the people who play role playing games evolve in tackling the challenges they face during a campaign since it recounts an actual gaming session. Honestly there's an analogue there to how you learn and grow as a person and also in how you tackle intelligence analysis problems. Funny enough, I don't enjoy most spy movies unless they're either completely bonkers or historic re-enactments.
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The #ElliottProud profile series is managed by the Elliott School Office of Graduate Admissions and highlights alumni to answer common questions posed by prospective, incoming, and current students. For more information on this series or to submit questions, e-mail the Office of Graduate Admissions at esiagrad@gwu.edu.
The views expressed by alumni profiled do not necessarily represent those of organizations they work for, are affiliated with, or the Elliott School of International Affairs.
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