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]

Portrait of Sara Aviel

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]