Kirk W. Johnson is the founder of the List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies and the author of To Be a Friend is Fatal: the Fight to Save the Iraqis America Left Behind.
The List Project has helped more than 2,000 US-affiliated Iraqis find refuge in America by partnering with eight top law firms to provide pro bono legal assistance, along with thousands of American volunteers that help resettled Iraqis with “everything from retooling resumes to finding furniture.” The List Project has been featured on 60 Minutes, This American Life, and documentary film The List.
Prior to the List Project, Johnson served in Iraq with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Baghdad and then Fallujah as the Agency’s first coordinator for reconstruction in the war-torn city. He has received fellowships from the American Academy in Berlin, Yaddo, MacDowell, and the Wurlitzer Foundation. Prior to his work in Iraq, he conducted research on political Islamism as a Fulbright Scholar in Egypt. Born and raised in West Chicago, he lives in Los Angeles, where he is at work on his second book.
As a 2014-15 visiting fellow, Johnson’s writing and leadership experience will be a welcome addition to CCLP.