--- description: Find out how Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership. title: 2021 TIME100 Next: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1215eedddadfefb/698a1716096a9468e36a91d8/time100-next-Ayana-Elizabeth-Johnson.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Feb 16, 2021 # Ayana Elizabeth Johnson by Gina McCarthy  Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Ayana Elizabeth JohnsonLandon Speers When the dark consequences of climate change engulf our discourse, I search for a light that shines on the opportunities and potential for the future. That’s why I turn to Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Ayana embodies and inspires optimism in the fight against climate change, injecting creativity, joy and hope into an issue that often feels dire. A marine biologist by trade, Ayana is a powerful force who has used her voice to ensure the climate movement encompasses a diversity of voices, especially women and people of color. As a co-founder of the All We Can Save Project, she has pulled chairs to the table, reached more voices and made sure everyone has a role to play in fighting climate change. And her scientific research has also proved that protecting our oceans and coral reefs is a pivotal piece of the climate crisis puzzle. Ayana’s research, voice and impact have already made waves in the climate movement. She is a leader whose boundless potential has given me and so many others hope for an equitable, healthier and brighter future. _McCarthy is the White House national climate adviser and a former Environmental Protection Agency administrator_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937679/ayana-elizabeth-johnson/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937679/ayana-elizabeth-johnson/"},"headline":"Ayana Elizabeth Johnson","datePublished":"2021-02-16T21:57:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:47:26.680Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937679/ayana-elizabeth-johnson/","keywords":["list","franchise","TIME 100 Next"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1215eedddadfefb/698a1716096a9468e36a91d8/time100-next-Ayana-Elizabeth-Johnson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1215eedddadfefb/698a1716096a9468e36a91d8/time100-next-Ayana-Elizabeth-Johnson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937679/ayana-elizabeth-johnson/","name":"Ayana Elizabeth Johnson"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | TIME100 Talks Spotlight","description":"Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on the future of sustainability.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/c9qcBq4C/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2020-11-12T18:35:33.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/c9qcBq4C.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937679/ayana-elizabeth-johnson/","duration":"PT2M48S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937679/ayana-elizabeth-johnson/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```