Johns Hopkins University's presence and impact in Washington, D.C., continued to grow over the past year, with the Hopkins Bloomberg Center welcoming high-profile speakers and attracting thousands of visitors, and more exciting programming and growth is expected in 2026.
Since opening in the fall of 2023 at its prominent Pennsylvania Avenue location, the building has become a destination for critical and timely policy discussions featuring notable names from Washington, D.C., and beyond. In 2025, the building hosted events featuring Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, entrepreneurs Mark Cuban and Ted Leonsis, artist Theaster Gates, Federal Trade Commission chairman Andrew N. Ferguson, former Treasury secretaries Janet Yellen and Timothy Geithner, and industry-leading CEOs including Lisa Su of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Dara Khosrowshahi of Uber, among many others.
Image caption: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett visited the Hopkins Bloomberg Center for a SCOTUSblog Summit.
Image credit: Stephen Bobb / The Dispatch
HBC's Discovery Series partnership with tech journalist Kara Swisher and Vox Media brought important conversations about AI to the theater's stage. New partnerships were launched with Fast Company, SCOTUSblog, SpaceNews, the National Aeronautic Association, The Planetary Society, and the Partnership for Public Service. Arts and cultural programming, including free exhibitions at the Frary Gallery, film screenings, and performances by Peabody musicians, drew visitors from across the district and beyond.
The university's increasing academic and events programming in D.C. has also driven rising needs for faculty and staff workspaces in the district. On Monday, Johns Hopkins completed the purchase of 633 Indiana Ave., NW, a 13-story building with more than 150,000 square feet of space to meet the growing demand. The property, located about two blocks northwest of the Hopkins Bloomberg Center, is currently being leased by the federal government and has long served as offices for the Federal Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, which announced plans in 2024 to move to a new headquarters. The agency's lease is set to expire in September; the university plans to spend the coming months assessing what renovations will be needed to adapt the building for its future use.
"Johns Hopkins' expanded presence in Washington, D.C. is creating new opportunities for our faculty and students from Baltimore to Bologna to drive real-world impact, fuel the exchange of ideas between researchers and policymakers, and forge new connections for our communities," said Cybele Bjorklund, vice president of federal strategy and executive director of the Hopkins Bloomberg Center.
Image caption: The Frary Gallery, the Hopkins Bloomberg Center's free public gallery, hosted three exhibitions in 2025, including "Strong, Bright, Useful, and True," which featured the work of contemporary Baltimore artists.
Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
As the university continues to invest in the communities where it operates, Johns Hopkins's growing impact in Washington, D.C. reaches communities across the nation's capital.
The Johns Hopkins Ward Infinity social innovation accelerator program provides support to D.C. entrepreneurs with solutions designed to address health and environmental challenges across the region. In October, Ward Infinity and the Hopkins Bloomberg Center hosted the opening day of DC Tech & Startup Week, bringing together founders, investors, and entrepreneurs to share candid perspectives on what it takes to launch and scale new ideas in a rapidly shifting technology landscape.
The Hopkins Bloomberg Center also hosted JHU's first HackGood4 DC Hackathon, with high school students from across the district using AI to develop innovative solutions to address chronic absenteeism in schools.
The year ahead promises additional timely and compelling programming at HBC, including the next event in the university's debate series in partnership with Open to Debate, and an exploration of space and defense featuring General Shawn N. Bratton, vice chief of space operations for the United States Space Force. In 2026, the Hopkins Bloomberg Center will also host a conversation on the US Tech Force with Scott Kupor, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, as well as an array of Nexus Award convenings including a master class by renowned orchestral conductor Marin Alsop .
