About ICF

Elizabeth Johnston

Director, Public Policy
Eliza Johnston has more than 15 years of experience helping communities, industries, and institutions understand their economic position, engage stakeholders, and plan for success.

Elizabeth Johnston manages and conducts economic and policy analysis for federal, state, and local clients. She specializes in economic impact assessment and labor market analysis, particularly related to climate policy and renewable energy infrastructure development. Elizabeth’s past clients include the United States Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Highways Administration, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration, among others.

Elizabeth previously analyzed the labor demands for waste diversion (recycling and organics composting) and offshore wind development, the compensation structures for marine pilots, and labor market trends for medical researchers. She uses various calculators, data, and economic impact models—including the IMPLAN model, EMSI, and BEA’s RIMS II multipliers.

Elizabeth conducted and managed competitiveness assessments and economic development strategies for single industry initiatives such as the film and information technology industries in Wisconsin, the clean technology industry in San Francisco, and a life science industry in Cape Coral, Florida. She also managed cross-industry regional strategies in New York City, San Francisco, Connecticut, and Southeast Colorado. Her other experience includes mobilizing regional stakeholders through work sessions that result in strategic plans for policy implementation. For example, she recently led outreach efforts related to analyzing fugitive methane leaks across California’s commercial building stock and supporting solar energy deployment in Massachusetts.

Education
  • Master of City and Regional Planning, Economic Development, University of California, Berkeley, 2006
  • B.A., Geography, Middlebury College, 2002
  • P.M.P., Project Management Institute, 2008, 2011, 2014. 2017, 2020

Insights