John P. Hart

John P. Hart, born 1960-09-03, currently serves a president and CEO of the American Democracy Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit working to educate citizens, train activists, and develop leaders.

Prior to founding the American Democracy Institute, Hart served as Director of Policy Implementation for the James B. Hunt Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where he managed operations and programs. Before joining the Hunt Institute, Hart served as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Government Affairs for Ovations, a division of UnitedHealth Group, focusing on improving public, private and non-profit sector partnerships in health care. Under Attorney General Janet Reno, Hart was appointed as Principal Deputy Director at the United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). At COPS, he was responsible for the management and administration of a $1.4 billion annual budget and a 250 member staff. Hart also served for four years at the White House as Deputy Assistant to President Bill Clinton and Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. In that capacity, he served as President Clinton's representative to state and local elected officials on federal-state policy, and acted as the President's liaison to the Catholic community. After President Clinton's election in November 1992, Hart served as a senior member of the President-elect's transition staff, acting as Special Assistant to Transition Directors Warren Christopher and Thomas "Mack" McLarty. Prior to the election, he served as Deputy Director of the Clinton/Gore Transition Planning Foundation, the pre-transition organization that Hart formed during the general election campaign. Hart also served as Secretary to the Foundation's Board of Directors. During the 1992 primary campaign, Hart played a vital role as the Clinton campaign's National Director of Delegate Operations, culminating in the nomination of Bill Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in New York, where he managed the convention floor operations. An attorney by training, Hart practiced law in Washington, D.C. and served as law clerk to the Hon. James T. Turner of the United States Court of Federal Claims. He is a graduate of The Catholic University of America and the Fordham University School of Law.