Danielle D. Johnson is Science Friday’s executive director (a.k.a. scary boss). She works to keep board, budget, staff, funders, fans, and Ira happy . . . most of the time. She’s also responsible for SciFri strategy and ensuring that staff don’t stray too far off task.

Before joining the team at Science Friday, Danielle was director of communications for the Leakey Foundation, where she traveled with scientists on national lecture tours to promote their research. She didn’t think it could get much cooler than that, until she met Ira during a trip to New York and learned about Science Friday. You know the rest.

When she’s not working, Danielle is usually attending a Mets game in New York City or a Giants game if she happens to be in San Francisco. If you couldn’t guess, Danielle is a Northern California native, although for a few years she lived in the Rocky Mountain foothills, earning degrees in psychology and anthropology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Danielle prides herself on being an adventurer (within reason). She’s traveled all over the world, including places like Siberia and Madagascar. She’s a member of the famed Explorer’s Club and is always looking for her next excursion—suggestions welcome!