John Stephenson is the Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Global for Vantage Data Centers. In this role, John leads the organization responsible for government affairs, economic development, and community engagement for Vantage Data Centers worldwide. Under John’s leadership, the Global Public Policy team has grown from one person to a global team of more than twenty professionals that has delivered results on proposed legislation, regulations, and key government decisions around the world, thereby reducing business costs, accelerating project timelines, and strengthening Vantage’s reputation as an industry leader and community partner. Prior to joining Vantage, John held executive policy public leadership roles for companies including Amazon and Rivian Automotive, and he led policy and advocacy for major issue advocacy organizations. He also previously served as a senior legislative aide focused on defense and domestic policies for a member of leadership of the United States House of Representatives. Among his many professional achievements are leading successful crisis response teams during the COVID-19 pandemic, winning multijurisdictional campaigns on tax reform and government modernization, and creating a first-of-its-kind geopolitical risk assessment team. John is a 2023 Vantage Data Centers President’s Club Inductee and recipient of the “6th Man” and “Most Valuable Amazonian” awards from Amazon Web Services. He is also a recognized thought leader on a variety of policy issues including digital infrastructure, energy, taxation, data protection, and economic development. John is a frequent public speaker and commentator with numerous appearances around the world, including serving as a subject matter expert in legislative hearings, a panelist at industry conferences, an advisor to gubernatorial transitions, an interviewee on television, and a guest columnist in publications such as The Wall Street Journal. John is also an active member of the Board of Directors of several organizations, including the Data Center Coalition, a trade group representative data center owners and operators in the U.S., the Information Technology Industry Council, a leading global technology trade association, and TechFreedom, a non-profit, non-partisan U.S.-based think tank focused on technology policy. Originally from Pennsylvania, John is a magna cum laude graduate with honors from Lafayette College. He resides in Arlington, Virginia with his wife and their two rescue cats. Outside of work, John is an aviator.