Sonia Chessen

Sonia Chessen helps administrative efforts to improve Americans’ health and well-being by reducing the hidden risks in our food, medical and consumer products.  

Prior to her current position, Ms. Chessen was the Executive Director of the National Board for Education Sciences which oversaw the Institute of Education Science in the US Department of Education. Ms. Chessen came to the Department from the position of Chief of Staff for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) where she was a senior advisor on both policy and administrative matters.  Ms. Chessen started her tenure in ASPE as a senior policy analyst in the Children and Youth Policy Division where she specialized in youth issues such as teen pregnancy and violence prevention, as well as positive youth development. During her years at HHS, Ms. Chessen served in two White House offices dedicated to coordinating federal youth policy. 

Ms. Chessen began her career as a social worker managing youth service programs in the Cabrini-Green housing development in Chicago, IL. These programs included counseling and recreational services for runaway youth and first-time and serious youth offenders; and counseling and support for pregnant and parenting teens.  Ms. Chessen has an AM in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago and a B.A in political science from Wellesley College.