Sara Aviel began her tenure as president and CEO of the Inter-American Foundation in April 2022. She has more than two decades of experience in the international development field, having served with the US government, NGOs, academic institutions, and the private sector.
Prior to joining the IAF, Aviel served as a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Brookings Institution, focusing on international development policy. She additionally founded and served as President of Margalit Strategies LLC from 2019 to 2022, providing strategic advice to a range of private, multilateral, and nonprofit organizations.
Aviel has held numerous senior positions with the US government, including serving as senior advisor to the treasury secretary throughout the global financial crisis, director for international economic affairs for both the National Security Council and National Economic Council, and on the executive boards of the World Bank Group institutions. From 2015 to 2017, Aviel was the chief of staff and executive associate director at the Office of Management and Budget with responsibility for the agency’s operations and a focus on foreign assistance. Aviel additionally has experience working on international development issues with non-governmental organizations, including CARE, Mercy Corps, and Root Capital. She has served as a lecturer on international development and humanitarian relief at Yale University.
Aviel received an M.B.A, as well as M.A. and B.A. degrees in Political Science, from Yale University and is proficient in Spanish. She lives in Washington, DC, and enjoys baking, hiking, and birding with her husband and two children.
Aviel was an event speaker at the Dialogue.