Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson is Vice Chair and Chief Strategy Officer. He helps shape and guide American’s strategy across the enterprise and has responsibility for American Eagle and American Airlines Cargo, with a focus on evolving those businesses.

Steve leads the work related to the design and development of strategies across the airline, American’s focus on the economy and its impact on the business, and corporate development. He also provides counsel to the CEO and the board of directors and collaborates with the senior leadership team on key markets and competition issues; corporate governance, corporate purpose and sustainability; policy development and external affairs; and labor relations strategy.

Steve served as Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs from 2009 to 2022. In that role, he was responsible for corporate governance and legal affairs, government and regulatory affairs, labor relations, and real estate and airport affairs. From 2003 to 2009, he was a partner at Indigo Partners LLC, a private equity firm specializing in investments in the airline industry.

Between 1995 and 2003, Steve held a variety of positions at America West Airlines, including Executive Vice President – Corporate. Prior to that, he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at GPA Group PLC and practiced law at the Seattle-based law firm Bogle & Gates.

Steve is a member and deputy chair of the board of directors of Wizz Air Holdings PLC. He is a Lecturer at Berkeley Law and the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and serves on the Executive Advisory Board of the University’s Berkeley Center for Law and Business.

Steve earned his Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley, after beginning his undergraduate education at the University of Washington and earning a Bachelor of Arts in economics from California State University, Sacramento.

Download PDF Opens a PDF document in a new window.