Johns Hopkins is a renowned global research university and health system. It is the largest private employer both in Baltimore City and the State of Maryland and has long contributed to the vitality of the state and local economy through activities related to its tripartite mission – education, research and health care. Each year, Johns Hopkins employs more than 53,000 Maryland residents, including approximately 17,000 Baltimore residents, and contributes – directly and indirectly – to $12.6 billion in state economic output. The institution also attracts new residents by offering strong employment opportunities, which strengthen economic activity and enhance tax revenue for the City. During the period between 2014 to 2019, Johns Hopkins was responsible for 35% of private sector job growth in the city of Baltimore and serves as a cornerstone of the Baltimore community and beyond on a statewide level.
While Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins Health System and are separate legal entities employers, they are closely affiliated, with strong collaboration and alignment on matters of mission and policy under the Johns Hopkins Medicine enterprise structure.
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins was founded in 1876 as the nation's first research university. More than 140 years later, the institution remains a world leader in both teaching and research, with nine academic divisions—the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, the Whiting School of Engineering, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Carey Business School, the Peabody Institute, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, and the schools of Medicine, Nursing and Education— plus the Applied Physics Laboratory, a non-academic University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) that supports national security and pursues space science, exploration of the solar system and other civilian research and development.
Johns Hopkins University is comprised of approximately 6,500 faculty, 6,200 undergraduate students and 17,600 graduate students across 230 degree programs at the baccalaureate, masters and doctoral levels. The mission of the University is to educate its students and cultivate their capacity for life-long learning, to foster independent and original research, and to bring the benefits of discovery to the world.
While Baltimore is the University's hometown, Johns Hopkins is also home to the nation's largest university affiliated research center, the Applied Physics Laboratory. In 2019, the university acquired 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, formerly the site of the Newseum, in Washington, DC, and is in the midst of a complete renovation of the property to serve as the institution's academic home in the nation's capital. In addition to its campuses in Maryland and Washington, DC, the university has a presence in nearly every corner of the globe, including plus Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China. Faculty and students conduct research on six continents; and more than 20 percent of the university's students come from countries outside the United States.
The impact of Johns Hopkins reaches into nearly every corner of the globe, conducting research, training, and education at more than 1,300 sites in more than 150 countries. More than 400 undergraduate students study abroad in dozens of countries each year, and more than 193,000 JHU alumni live in 175 countries. Examples of global reach include: the School of Advanced International Studies which has campuses on three continents; Jhpiego, a nonprofit health organization, which focuses on improving the health of women and families in more than 155 developing countries; and the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health which works to address pressing global health challenges, such as HIV/AIDs and tuberculosis.
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Johns Hopkins Medicine is a $10 billion integrated global health enterprise and one of the leading health care systems in the United States. Johns Hopkins Medicine unites physicians and scientists of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with the organizations, health professionals and facilities of the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System.
Johns Hopkins Medicine's vision, "Together, we will deliver the promise of medicine," is supported by its mission to improve the health of the community and the world by setting the standard of excellence in medical education, research and clinical care. Diverse and inclusive, Johns Hopkins Medicine educates medical students, scientists, health care professionals and the public, conducts biomedical research and provides patient-centered medicine to prevent, diagnose and treat human illness.
Johns Hopkins Medicine operates six academic and community hospitals, six suburban health care and surgery centers, and more than 40 primary and specialty care outpatient sites, with a presence in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Florida and a broad-based growth strategy in the National Capital Region (NCR). The Johns Hopkins Hospital, opened in 1889, is the #1 ranked hospital in Maryland and Baltimore for all specialties. It has been ranked among the nation's top hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 29 consecutive years, earning the #1 ranking 22 times and most recently coming in at #3 in the nation for 2019-2020. Johns Hopkins Medicine is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021. The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2018.
Johns Hopkins Medicine also encompasses Johns Hopkins HealthCare, whose managed care plans cover more than 442,000 people; Johns Hopkins Home Care Group, which annually treats approximately 160,000 adults and children in central Maryland; as well as Johns Hopkins International, offering hospital management, health care consulting and clinical education services through strategic alliances and affiliations in North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Asia.
General Position Overview:
The Vice President for State and Local Affairs is a senior leadership position, responsible for spearheading the development of Johns Hopkins' state and local legislative and regulatory agenda in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Florida – as well as the advocacy strategies to implement that agenda – for both Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM), working across both organizations to align and implement that agenda. A skilled collaborator and strategic thinker, this position partners with other members of the senior leadership team, including the Vice President of Federal Strategy and the Vice President of Economic Development, to ensure a cohesive and unified approach to addressing the institution's policy priorities across all layers of federal, state and local government.
The VP directly supervises a team of government and community relations professionals and other support staff and is based at Johns Hopkins' offices in Baltimore, MD.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Advises senior leadership on the institution's policy priorities and strategic direction.
- Represents the institution as its chief lobbyist on state and local matters and directs Johns Hopkins' state and local legislative and regulatory activities to advance the institution's mission of higher education, research and patient care, as well as managing interests as a non-profit institution, an economic engine for the city of Baltimore and a critical employer within the State of Maryland.
- Leads the development of internal and external strategies to accomplish the institution's public policy objectives and to enhance visibility of Johns Hopkins' state and local affairs activities.
- Serves as Johns Hopkins' ambassador in the community, working closely with our elected officials, business and community leaders, and neighborhood associations – often in partnership with the Office of Economic Development and other offices and Centers throughout the institution – to build and strengthen the institution's relationships in the community.
- Cultivates external relationships with government officials/policy makers, business and community leaders, and other key stakeholders to effect education, research and health care policy, along with initiatives that support the institution's employer of choice efforts.
- Represents Johns Hopkins on multiple internal and external boards and committees, attends meetings and makes presentations on behalf of Johns Hopkins to internal and external audiences.
- Collaborates with peers across the institution, including the Vice Presidents of Communications, Economic Development, and Federal Strategy on matters related to state or local policy or legislation, which may impact the employees or interests of the enterprise.
- Engages internal constituencies, including leadership, faculty, and staff, to facilitate their involvement in the legislative and regulatory process.
- Prepares and presents reports on state and local legislative and regulatory activity and for government compliance to JHU and JHM leadership and external stakeholders.
- Serves as a thought leader and respected representative in the external community, promoting the institution's capabilities, expertise, innovation, strategic vision and priorities.
- Works in close collaboration with other JHU and JHM leaders across the institution, to drive strategic outcomes.
- Serves as a key leadership resource across JHU and JHM on state and local advocacy efforts and related activities that impact areas within the enterprise footprint.
- Ensures the institution's compliance with all related lobbying disclosure and ethics rules.
- Performs other related duties as requested.
Experience and Qualifications:
- Ten (10) or more years of legislative experience and/or demonstrated achievement in directing government affairs efforts for a large organization supporting research, health care delivery and/or higher education.
- Bachelor's degree required, with advanced degree in law, policy, or related field strongly preferred.
- Highly developed collaborative, organizational and communication skills; excellent judgment and critical thinking skills and the ability to manage complex and/or confidential issues involving diverse constituents and stakeholders.
- High degree of initiative, judgment, discretion, and decision-making and an ability to analyze situations accurately and take or recommend effective action as needed, particularly in a decentralized and matrixed environment.
- Knowledge of public policy issues affecting research universities, non-profit organizations, urban institutions, the Johns Hopkins University, the Johns Hopkins Medicine, and/or affiliated institutions, including labor and employment matters, economic and community development, health policy, and/or higher-education.
- Supervisory experience with skills in managing, directing and motivating personnel with diverse experience and strengths.
- Politically savvy with an ability to develop and implement legislative strategies and experience in internal and external advocacy, including coalition-building.
- Strong interpersonal skills, persuasive presentation and public speaking skills.
- Demonstrated adaptability to meet changing demands. Must be flexible and available to leadership, faculty and staff on an as-needed basis.
- Demonstrated strategic leadership, planning, change management and process improvement skills.
- Proven accuracy and attention to detail in managing multiple initiatives and priorities, along with experience in simultaneously implementing projects and events across multiple time frames (short, mid and long-term).
