Dr. Sam Hanna has joined Abt Associates as Chief Solutions Officer. Hanna will serve on Abt’s Executive Leadership Team and will oversee the Research, Digital, Technical Assistance, and Equity teams focusing on delivering high-quality, innovative solutions to our clients’ most pressing problems.

Hanna is an experienced executive, most recently serving as Senior Advisor at USAID for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) & Global Health Bureau. He advised the agency on its global health strategy and technology efforts across country teams in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. Prior to USAID, he held leadership positions, including Chief Innovation, Strategy and Marketing Officer roles, at consulting firms such as PwC and Deloitte. At PwC, he led the product/solutions incubator, resulting in a pipeline of over $500 million and new revenue of $250 million.

Hanna has been active in academia, launching a master’s program in Health Analytics at The George Washington University, where he taught management, leadership, strategy, innovation, and emerging tech, from artificial intelligence to blockchain. He also served as a professor and Associate Dean at American University, where he developed graduate and undergraduate programs centered on healthcare, data science, and workforce skills development.

“Sam brings a wealth of knowledge and experience related to technology, health, and innovation,” said Abt President and CEO Kathleen Flanagan. “He’s an extraordinary addition to our leadership team.”

Hanna holds a Ph.D. in Translational Health Science from The George Washington University, an M.B.A. in marketing and entrepreneurship from Babson College, and a B.S. in business administration, with a concentration in accounting and information technology management, from Christian Brothers University. He also holds certificates in Leadership and Management from Harvard University, a certificate in Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare from MIT, and is a Six Sigma Black Belt and Lean Certified. Read the full press release here.