People

Johnny Burtka

President & CEO

John A. Burtka IV was named the eighth President and Chief Executive Officer of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute in August 2020.

As President, Johnny leads ISI’s efforts to educate young Americans in the principles and virtues needed to safeguard ordered liberty.

Under his leadership, in 2021, ISI launched the Roots of American Renewal Campaign—a five-year initiative to restore learning and leadership and educate a new wave of conservative leaders for our Republic. In 2023, ISI opened the Linda L. Bean Center, a major addition to the organization’s headquarters in Delaware’s historic Brandywine Valley.

Johnny is the editor of Gateway to Statesmanship: Selections from Xenophon to Churchill and host of a forthcoming video series based on the book. Praised by conservative scholars such as Harvey Mansfield, Victor Davis Hanson, and Larry Arnn, this collection revives the “mirrors-for-princes” genre—a literary tradition centered on offering practical guidance to those in positions of authority on how to lead virtuously and effectively.

Prior to leading ISI, Johnny served as Executive Director and Acting Editor of The American Conservative magazine. He graduated from Hillsdale College with degrees in French and Christian Studies and earned a graduate degree in theology from La Faculté Jean Calvin in Aix-en-Provence, France.  

Johnny has appeared on Fox News and Fox Business and written for the Washington Post, Newsweek, National Review, American Mind, First Things, and more. He is a member of the Classic Learning Test’s Board of Academic Advisors.