The George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences welcomes Sara Melita, who will serve as the senior advisor and chief of staff to Jeffrey S. Akman, M.D., vice president for health affairs at GW, Walter A. Bloedorn Professor of Administrative Medicine, and dean of the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS).
Melita comes to this role with 20 years of professional experience as a senior leader and advisor, serving just shy of 10 years at GW. Her first position at GW was the director of staff learning and development, where she established the function to implement programs and services in alignment with organizational priorities. Melita then went on to fulfill the position of assistant vice president of organizational development and effectiveness, a team focused on building effective teams and improving individual and group performance throughout GW. Most recently, as a senior advisor to GW’s senior leadership team, she worked across all schools and divisions to develop annual and strategic goals aligned with mission priorities. She also managed projects designed to improve employee engagement, navigate change, and redesign organizations and processes.
Melita was involved in the development and implementation of GW’s Vision 2021 Strategic Plan and has hands-on experience working with senior management to accomplish their academic goals and priorities. At SMHS specifically, Melita partnered with the Office of Faculty Affairs to design and deliver a program for chairs focused on creating a culture of faculty mentorship at the school.
"I am delighted that Sara will be joining SMHS. She is highly-regarded and well-respected across the university for her organizational development and leadership expertise,” said Akman. “She will be a tremendous addition to my senior leadership team."
In this role, Melita will provide leadership and coordination to strengthen and expedite Akman’s vision and priorities for SMHS. She will work with Akman and the SMHS senior leadership team to advance those priorities with SMHS faculty and key administrators.
“I look forward to joining the SMHS leadership team. I am so inspired by the mission of SMHS and can’t wait to contribute to the incredible work of the faculty and staff,” said Melita.
Melita will join SMHS on January 3, 2017.
