Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Affiliations
Timeline
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Aviva Sufian

Houston,Texas

Summary

Strategy executive with extensive program and policy expertise in health and human services. Proven track record leading large-scale innovation projects in benefits administration, human services program development, and public health initiatives. Natural relationship builder and intrapreneur, who works creatively across sectors, business functions, and content areas to drive change and deliver high-impact, sustainable results. Known for adaptability and a results-focused approach, serving in senior-level, public-facing roles that require vision, exceptional communication and problem-solving skills, as well as political savvy. Former member of the United States Senior Executive Service.

Overview

2026
2026
years of professional experience

Work History

Founder and Principal

ARS Strategy Solutions
01.2015 - Current
  • Provide strategic guidance and coaching to startups and social entrepreneurs, advancing the value of user-centered design, cross-sector partnerships, and political strategy
  • Develop strategic communications, outreach, and operations strategies for clients, e.g., Grantmakers in Aging, Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement, the Cystic Fibrosis Legal Information Hotline, and Conversifi (a language learning app)

Specialist Leader

Deloitte Consulting, LLP
01.2017 - 01.2024
  • Served as firm’s subject matter expert on aging and disability issues; provided strategic management, operations transformation, human capital, customer experience, and quality improvement guidance for government (federal/state/local), nonprofit, and commercial clients
  • Led high profile, customer-facing technology projects, advocating for and translating evolving customer needs into technical requirements; clients included the New York State Department of Health and Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services
  • Developed human-centered approaches to service delivery and led initiatives to improve employee/customer/patient experience at federal agencies, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • Worked with clients on program/grants management, technical assistance, and strategic learning initiatives, including the development of interdisciplinary learning collaboratives for quality improvement in long-term care, COVID-19, and cancer care; this included the creation of online platforms for grantee/participant education and data sharing
  • Represented the firm as its key thought leader with external aging-related entities, including the International Future Trends Forum Think Tank on Longevity, Georgetown University’s AgingWell Hub, and the Global Coalition on Aging

Special Envoy for US Holocaust Survivor Services

The United States Department of Health and Human Services
2014 - 01.2015
  • Appointed to serve in the inaugural leadership role to establish, develop, and scale a White House initiative to increase national attention and mobilize resources for Holocaust survivors living in poverty
  • Served as initiative’s principal representative and chief spokesperson with community stakeholders, Congress, and the media; coordinated with the Office of Vice President Joseph Biden and the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, as well as other Cabinet agencies and members of Congress
  • Leveraged limited human and financial resources to deliver innovative social impact programs, including the creation of the first public-private partnership with a Fortune 500 to provide pro-bono dental care to survivors living in poverty across the United States and beyond (this program is now in its tenth year)
  • Designed and led comprehensive national outreach and engagement process with over 75 stakeholder organizations, hundreds of community members, and dozens of major donors and members of Congress; within one year, outreach and advocacy efforts resulted in $2.5 million in annual congressional appropriations and $10 million in philanthropic donations
  • Translated advocacy community’s concerns into action plan; leveraged benefits expertise and professional network to secure significant policy changes that had been stymied for decades; implemented the first federal grant program to promote person-centered, trauma-informed care for older adults (this grant has been reauthorized by Congress multiple times, is still active, and has enabled the Jewish Federations of North America to create its Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and help advance the broader field of trauma-informed care for older adults)

Director of Regional Operations

The United States Administration for Community Living
01.2012 - 01.2015
  • Led 30-person staff across 10 regional offices, liaising with and overseeing over $1 billion in Older Americans Act grants to State Units on Aging, territories, and tribes; advanced a policy and advocacy agenda to promote home- and community-based services, as well as person-centered planning, for older adults and people with disabilities
  • Served as key strategic advisor to Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee; led special innovation initiatives (e.g., technology and aging, end of life care, disaster preparedness and response)
  • Spearheaded the 2015 White House Conference on Aging’s special forum, “Supporting Caregivers and Care Providers,” for over 200 thought leaders and key stakeholders; worked with AARP and federal, state, and local stakeholders to implement five regional White House Conference on Aging forums that addressed issues related to healthy aging, retirement security, long-term services and supports, and elder justice
  • Also served as the agency's Acting Director of External Affairs in 2013; created and implemented a public affairs strategy to promote agency’s new brand (merging aging and disability portfolios) with diverse audiences; oversaw all Affordable Care Act-related education and fraud prevention efforts for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries

Senior Advisor to the Commissioner

The United States Social Security Administration
01.2009 - 01.2012
  • Served as core member of the Commissioner's 12-person senior leadership team; briefed and advised the Commissioner on highly sensitive operations, policy, communications, and employee relations issues
  • Advocated agency interests on Commissioner’s behalf in cross-governmental initiatives and programs (e.g., drafted annual Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees report and negotiated across multiple disciplines, agencies, and the highest levels of government to achieve consensus)
  • Principal speechwriter and advance team leader



Associate Commissioner of External Affairs

The United States Social Security Administration
2010 - 2011
  • Led the agency's Office of External Affairs, overseeing 45-person staff and various contractors within three offices (National Affairs, Intergovernmental and Community Affairs, and Measurement and Evaluation)
  • Served as principal liaison with all national advocacy and interest groups/associations (e.g., aging, retirement, disability, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, legal, financial planning, etc.), as well as with federal, state, local, and tribal entities
  • Crafted strategies to translate customer/advocate concerns, modernize agency systems, and increase digital adoption by the public; worked closely with the premier design firm, IDEO, on the agency's Online Retirement Redesign Initiative and generated buy-in for agency-wide adoption of human-centered design/design thinking
  • Served as the agency's representative in numerous interagency and cross-sector workgroups, including the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Literacy Education Commission (Chair, Outreach Subcommittee), the American Savings Education Council’s Federal Partners Group, the National Council on Aging’s National Center for Benefits and Enrollment Federal Partners Working Group, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the White House Interagency Workgroup on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Interagency Workgroup on Limited English Proficiency, and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy Workgroup

Senior Policy Analyst

New York City Department for the Aging
01.2006 - 01.2009
  • Served as the First Deputy Commissioner's principal policy advisor
  • Conceived and developed New York City’s All Ages Project (Age-Friendly New York), a public-private effort to advance innovative approaches for urban aging and livable communities
  • Built the framework for TimeBanksNYC, a citywide, multigenerational volunteer and skills sharing program of the Aging in New York Fund and the NYC Civic Corps

Planning Executive

UJA-Federation of New York
01.2005 - 01.2006
  • Served as principal strategic planner and expert consultant for aging issues; managed $6 million portfolio of 140 grants, issued and evaluated requests for proposal, and led task force of high-level donors
  • Launched community initiative to reimagine programs and services for emerging retirees and baby boomers

Production Manager and Webmaster

The Hearst Corporation
01.1999 - 01.2001
  • Managed 20-person staff to launch Hearst magazine websites; led efforts to continuously improve products through user-centered design, web analytics, and a robust user testing program

Education

Master's in Public Health -

Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health
New York, NY

Master's in Public Policy -

Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government
Cambridge, MA

Bachelor of Arts -

Columbia University, Columbia College
New York, NY

Skills

  • Unwavering commitment to client and customer centricity
  • Creator of innovative design solutions and empathic change management strategies
  • Approachable and motivational leadership style, resulting in teams who deliver excellence
  • Master networker and strategic relationship manager

Affiliations

  • Board Member, Older Adult Technology Series (2017 – present)
  • Board Member, Goldberg Montessori School (2023 – present)
  • Commissioner, NYC Age-Friendly Commission (2019 – 2022)
  • Board Member, Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies (2018 – 2022)
  • Advisory Board Member, Digital Health Executive Summit on Aging (2014 – 2016)
  • Federal Executive Institute Graduate (2011)
  • Coro Leadership New York Fellow (2006 – 2007)
  • Wexner Graduate Fellow (2001 – 2005)
  • Harvard’s Interfaculty Initiative on Aging (2001 – 2003)
  • Hillel Service Corps Fellow, UCLA (1998 – 1999)

Timeline

Specialist Leader

Deloitte Consulting, LLP
01.2017 - 01.2024

Founder and Principal

ARS Strategy Solutions
01.2015 - Current

Director of Regional Operations

The United States Administration for Community Living
01.2012 - 01.2015

Senior Advisor to the Commissioner

The United States Social Security Administration
01.2009 - 01.2012

Senior Policy Analyst

New York City Department for the Aging
01.2006 - 01.2009

Planning Executive

UJA-Federation of New York
01.2005 - 01.2006

Production Manager and Webmaster

The Hearst Corporation
01.1999 - 01.2001

Special Envoy for US Holocaust Survivor Services

The United States Department of Health and Human Services
2014 - 01.2015

Associate Commissioner of External Affairs

The United States Social Security Administration
2010 - 2011

Master's in Public Health -

Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health

Master's in Public Policy -

Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government

Bachelor of Arts -

Columbia University, Columbia College

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