Adobe Bolsters DC Presence with New Government Affairs VP

Adobe Systems has announced the appointment of a new vice president for government affairs and public policy to bolster its presence in the nation’s capital.

In a Nov. 22 announcement, Adobe named Jace Johnson as its vice president for government affairs and public policy. Johnson joins Adobe with both technology industry experience and a background in government and public policy issues. He previously served as the chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. In that role, Johnson supported the senator's roles on the U.S. Senate Committees on Finance; Judiciary; Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP); and Intelligence.

"Jace's [sic] extensive record of public service and strong business acumen makes him an ideal choice for leading the company's global public policy and government affairs work," said Karen Cottle, senior vice president and general counsel at Adobe, in a statement. "We welcome his experience and leadership as we continue our growth in the public sector markets, and work in a bipartisan fashion with government and policy bodies on key issues such as intellectual property and the continued support for innovation in our industry."

Based in Adobe's Washington, D.C., office, Johnson will join Adobe's director of public policy, Paul Hughes, to work with government entities and industry associations on a range of public policy issues, Adobe said in a press release on the announcement. Hughes has extensive international experience from his time with the U.S. Department of State. In Washington, Hughes served with the National Security Council in the Clinton White House and on the staff of Secretary of State Warren Christopher before coming to Adobe in 1998 to open its government relations and public policy department.

In addition to public policy, Johnson will also advocate for the role of technology in helping federal agencies meet their information, collaboration and open government needs, Adobe said. Adobe has recently expanded its overall presence and workforce in the Washington, D.C., market in recognition of both the area’s policy significance and market potential, the company said.

Prior to joining Hatch's staff in 2002, Johnson was one of the first employees of Corvis Corporation, a successful startup communications company that went public in July 2000 and was later purchased by Level 3, Adobe said. Johnson served as director of finance, working with the executive team to build the company into an international entity with more than 3,500 employees worldwide and a market cap of $40 billion. Johnson joined Corvis from his role as manager of financial analysis and planning at Visa Interactive, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Visa International, which concentrated on building out the nation's home banking infrastructure in the mid-1990s.