Leadership & Advisors
Johanna Leblanc, J.D., LL.M.
Partner and Head of the Global Public Policy Practice at Adomi Advisory Group—a national security law and foreign policy expert advising governments, corporations, and multilateral institutions across the United States and Africa.
Ms. Johanna Leblanc is a leading national security law and foreign policy expert whose voice continues to shape global conversations on law, diplomacy, and governance. She serves as Partner and Head of the Global Public Policy Practice at Adomi Advisory Group, and as an Adjunct Professor at Howard University, where she teaches American Foreign Policy and Law of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). In both roles, she merges academic rigor with practical experience—training the next generation of leaders and policymakers while advising governments, corporations, and multilateral institutions across the United States and Africa. In particular, she advises governments at the ministerial and presidential level on U.S.–Africa relations, economic diplomacy, critical minerals, trade policy, strategic communications, and investment facilitation.
Ms. Leblanc serves as Chief Foreign Policy Advisor at the National Bar Association, an organization that represents roughly 60,000 lawyers, judges, students, and legal professionals and has existed in the United States for more than 100 years.
A former Legislative Director in the U.S. Congress, Ms. Leblanc played a pivotal role in advancing domestic and foreign policy agendas, managing appropriations, and liaising with the White House, the State Department, and leading financial institutions. She also served as Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to three Haitian Ambassadors to the United States and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she helped secure the renewal of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA)—strengthening economic ties between the U.S. and the Caribbean.
Previously, Ms. Leblanc was appointed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to the Commission on African Affairs, where she advised on civic engagement and diaspora policy. She also served as a Pentagon-authorized observer with the Military Observation Commission Project, analyzing and reporting on military commission war crimes hearings at Guantanamo Bay.
A respected media commentator, she has appeared on BBC, Al Jazeera, FOX 5 DC, Voice of America (VOA), and major networks across Africa, including Citizen TV Kenya, Metro FM South Africa, eNCA, and CNBC Africa. Known for her clarity and authority, she provides incisive analysis on U.S.–Africa relations, security cooperation, and global governance, and is a sought-after speaker globally.
Recognized among the National Bar Association's 40 Under 40 Nation's Best Advocates and the Most Influential People of African Descent, Ms. Leblanc holds a Juris Doctor and a Master of Laws in National Security and U.S. Foreign Relations Law, an Honorary Doctor of Laws which she earned at age 31, and additional master's and bachelor's degrees. Her career reflects excellence, intellect, and an unwavering commitment to advancing law, policy, and global leadership.