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Melanie Metropolit is a public health strategist with more than 20 years of experience across federal health, research, and international development initiatives.

Douglas W. Elmendorf, Ph.D., is Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He served as Dean of the Kennedy School from 2016 to 2024 and was previously Director of the Congressional Budget Office from 2009 to 2015.Elmendorf has held senior economic positions with the Federal Reserve Board, the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, and the Treasury Department, where he was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy. He is a widely respected economist who has deep knowledge of many of Abt’s core research areas, including health care policy and approaches to increasing economic security.Elmendorf is the author of more than 30 publications and has testified before Congress on economic issues 50 times since 2005. 

Harold Poston has more than 25 years of experience in federal IT, with deep subject matter expertise across Health IT modernization, Defense Health Agency programs, and Army enterprise IT transformation. Poston leads Abt’s growth strategy for Military Health and VA, connecting federal clients to Abt’s capabilities in digital transformation, data services, and program modernization.

Diane Fraser started out working in art departments for a marketing product manufacturer in high school and a consulting firm in college. After college, she began a career in non-profits, where she developed and managed communications, public relations, fundraising, and events.

Lakshmi Shyam-Sunder is the former Vice President and World Bank Group Chief Risk Officer (2014-2024). Lakshmi was previously Chief Financial Officer at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and Director of Risk and Financial Policy at the International Finance Corporation both also part of the World Bank Group.

Alan White is a nationally renowned health economist, highly respected for his rapid response to clients’ complex information and research needs with data-driven, creative solutions. As the senior health economist for the Health Policy Practice, he leads high-profile projects and guides the practice’s health economists.

Eric Reading leads major initiatives at the enterprise level for Abt Global, particularly in areas of strategic priority including digital transformation. He previously led Abt Global’s International Development Division, the largest division of the firm.

Anika Vartan has more than 20 years of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating public health and international development programs to improve access to—and quality of—health care, and increase community participation in social, economic, and political life. Vartan’s expertise is in mixed-methods and qualitative research, project management, health policy analysis, capacity building, adult education and technical assistance, organizational assessment and development, and community-driven development. She has supported the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Drug Administration (FDA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Department of State (DOS) clients.

Kelly Wagner has over 25 years of experience designing and delivering technical assistance, training, and capacity building. A skilled public health professional trained in epidemiology, she has developed and led more than 10 national TA programs for federal awardees from various agencies including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and offices within the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH). Wagner has worked with community-based organizations, health centers, academic institutions, and state/local health agencies, reaching target audiences with unique and diverse public health needs across the lifespan.