Sara Aviel

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.[1]

Early life and education

Aviel earned an MBA from Yale University, where she also earned MA and BA degrees in political science.[2] 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.[3][2] Following that negotiation, Aviel and the other students launched the organization Universities Allied for Essential Medicines to work with universities holding medical patents to expand access to lifesaving drugs.[4] Aviel has also lectured at Yale University on humanitarian aid and international development.[5]

Early career

Aviel has worked internationally in the field offices and headquarters of international development organizations including social investment fund Root Capital, Mercy Corps, and CARE Afghanistan.[6][7] During the worldwide financial crisis from 2009 to 2011, she served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner. 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."[8]  

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 nominated Aviel to represent the United States on the executive boards of the World Bank Group institutions as the United States Alternate Executive Director.[6][7] The Senate confirmed the appointment on May 24, 2012.[9] From 2012 to 2015, Aviel advanced the World Bank’s focus on social inclusion[10] and eliminating extreme poverty, according to Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank Kaushik Basu.[11]

From 2015 to 2017, Aviel managed operations with a particular focus on foreign assistance at the Office of Management and Budget as chief of staff and executive associate director.[12]

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.[13] She was also a senior advisor on international development policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies[12] and a senior fellow on development policy at the Brookings Institution.[14]

In 2022, the board of directors of the Inter-American Foundation selected Aviel as the new President & CEO. She was sworn into the role on April 25, 2022.[13] She was terminated in February 2025 and succeeded by Peter Marocco. On March 17, Aviel sued over her firing.[15] On April 4, a judge granted a preliminary injunction unwinding the actions of Peter Marocco and reinstating Aviel as President & CEO of the IAF, noting that Marocco's actions were unlawful because he was without authorization to act as representative of the IAF.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Sara Aviel". Inter-American Foundation. 25 April 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Universities Allied for Essential Medicines – Advisory Board". Universities Allied for Essential Medicines. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "Convervative Compassion [sic]". The New Journal. April 20, 2001. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  4. ^ "Our Labs. Our Drugs. Our Responsibility". Universities Allied for Essential Medicines. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "Testimony of Sara Aviel before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for Nomination to be the U.S. Alternate Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development". U.S. Department of the Treasury. March 13, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". The White House: President Barack Obama. September 6, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Nominations of the 112th Congress – second session. Hearings before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. March 13, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  8. ^ Geithner, Timothy (2014). Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises. Crown. ISBN 978-0-8041-3860-4. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  9. ^ "Sara Margalit Aviel Confirmed as Alternate Executive Director at the World Bank". U.S. Department of the Treasury. May 25, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  10. ^ Dawson, Stella (April 11, 2014). "World Bank promotes citizen action to help fight corruption and poverty". Thomson Reuters Foundation News. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  11. ^ Basu, Kaushik (July 6, 2021). Policymaker's Journal: From New Delhi to Washington, D.C. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9788195057153.
  12. ^ a b "Non-resident Expert Sara Aviel". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Inter-American Foundation Announces New President & CEO". April 26, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  14. ^ "Sara Aviel – Inter-American Dialogue". Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  15. ^ Beaty, Thalia (17 March 2025). "The president of a federal agency sues Trump administration for firing staff". Associated Press. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  16. ^ Schonfeld, Zach (2025-04-04). "Judge blocks Trump's takeover of Inter-American Foundation". The Hill. Archived from the original on 2025-04-04. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
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