Staff Directory

John Koons

Deputy Director of Youth Leadership School

Campus Leadership Program | Youth Leadership

John Koons is the Deputy Director of the Jay Henges Center for Youth Leadership at the Leadership Institute. In this position, he assists with traveling the country to train conservative activists on how to effectively run a youth campaign, run for student government, and win for candidates and causes of their choice.

Before joining the Leadership Institute, John served as the Director of Youth Engagement for the Republican National Committee where he led the party’s national effort of engaging young voters to grow the party.

Before transitioning to Washington, D.C. to work at the national level, John worked on campaigns at the state and local levels in Pennsylvania. During the 2020 presidential cycle, John served as the Pennsylvania Trump Victory Leadership Initiative Director where he oversaw the statewide volunteer recruitment and training efforts. Prior to joining the statewide Pennsylvania Trump Victory team, John was a grassroots organizer for Central Pennsylvania, developing a robust team of 1,000+ volunteers between 2018 and 2019. As a freshman and sophomore in college, John also organized various local school board, borough council, and judicial campaigns.

Originally from Lebanon, PA, John is a graduate of Elizabethtown College with a Master of Public Policy and B.A. in Political Science.