Sara Aviel (born February 5, 1980, in California), who has a background in international policy and economics, serves as President & CEO of U.S. foreign assistance agency the

Inter-American Foundation The Inter-American Foundation, or IAF, is an independent agency of the United States government that funds community-led development in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was created through the Foreign Assistance Act of 1969Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, where she also earned MA and BA degrees in political science. As an undergraduate student, she worked with a few other students to convince the university and Bristol-Meyers Squibb, which had an exclusive license with Yale, to make a patented drug that slowed the development of symptoms of AIDS available in South Africa for generic production and below cost. After that successful negotiation, Aviel and the other students launched the organization

Universities Allied for Essential Medicines Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) is a student-led organization working to improve access to and affordability of medicines around the world, and to increase research and development of drugs for neglected tropical diseases. Suppo ...

to work with universities holding medical patents to expand access to lifesaving drugs for people who need them. Aviel has also lectured at Yale University on humanitarian aid and

international development International development or global development is a broad concept denoting the idea that societies and countries have differing levels of economic development, economic or human development (humanity), human development on an international scal ...

Early career

Aviel has worked around the world in the field offices and headquarters of international development organizations including social investment fund Root Capital,

Mercy Corps Mercy Corps is a global non-governmental, humanitarian aid organization operating in transitional contexts that have undergone, or have been undergoing, various forms of economic, environmental, social and political instabilities. The organizati ...

, and

CARE Care may refer to: Organizations and projects * CARE (New Zealand), Citizens Association for Racial Equality, a former New Zealand organisation * CARE (relief agency), "Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere", an international aid and ...

Afghanistan. During the worldwide financial crisis from 2009 to 2011, she served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury

Timothy Geithner Timothy Franz Geithner (; born August 18, 1961) is a former American central banker who served as the 75th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013. He was the President of the Federal Reserve Bank ...

. Secretary Geithner described Aviel as the "conscience of the Treasury," stating that she "worked the longest hours, traveled on every trip, and brought her exceptionally high standards to helping to run the Treasury."

Obama administration appointments

In 2011, Aviel was appointed director for international economic affairs for the National Economic Council as well as the National Security Council.

President Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

nominated Aviel to represent the United States on the executive boards of the

World Bank Group The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Gr ...

institutions as the United States Alternate Executive Director. The Senate confirmed the appointment on May 24, 2012. From 2012 to 2015, Aviel advanced the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

’s focus on social inclusion and eliminating extreme poverty, according to Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank

Kaushik Basu Kaushik Basu (born 9 January 1952) is an Indian economist who was Chief Economist of the World Bank from 2012 to 2016. He is the C. Marks Professor of International Studies and Professor of Economics at Cornell University, and academic advisor ...

. From 2015 to 2017, Aviel managed operations with a particular focus on foreign assistance at the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

as chief of staff and executive associate director.

Post-Obama administration career

Following her service in the Obama administration, Aviel founded Margalit Strategies, working with organizations to carry out strategic planning, develop effective policies, and engage stakeholders. In 2022, the board of directors of the

Center for Strategic and International Studies The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. CSIS was founded as the Center for Strategic and International Studies of Georgetown University in 1962. The center conducts poli ...

and a senior fellow on development policy at the

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...

Personal life

Aviel and Martin DiMarzio married in 2013 and they live in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

with their two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aviel, Sara Living people 1980 births Government officials Leaders