Uma S. Ahluwalia is a respected social services and public health services professional with extensive experience leading key growth initiatives in demanding political and legislative environments.  She is an expert in delivering innovative, reliable, cost-effective solutions and public policy strategies that improve operations and productivity. She is currently the Director of a certified woman owned small business called Leapp Strategies, LLC.

At Health Management Associates, Uma supported public and private sector organizations address consulting solutions related to public health, child welfare, social services, children’s behavioral health and strategic planning.  Prior to joining HMA, she had a 22-year public sector career in state and local government.  For twelve years she served as director of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services in Maryland where she led implementation of the Affordable Care Act, oversaw the move to a more integrated and interoperable health and human services enterprise, and managed public-private partnerships and programs.  

Uma’s work experience also includes executive leadership in Child Welfare as the interim director in the Child and Family Services Agency in Washington, DC, and assistant secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services in the State of Washington for the Children’s Administration.   

Her HMA consulting practice spanning across states and counties around social services, public health and behavioral health has further refined her approach to integrating social services with public health and behavioral health to improve outcomes across the lifespan and reduce disparities based on differences across socio-economic conditions. 

She has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Delhi in India and a specialist, post-master’s in health services administration from George Washington University. Over her 35-year career in human services, she has progressively moved from case-carrying social work to executive leadership at the state and local levels.  She serves on several national and local boards including the National Children’s Alliance the membership organization for Child Advocacy Centers, the Center for Adoption Support and Education and the Primary Care Coalition.  She is on the Dean’s Board of Advisors for the University of Maryland, School of Social Work and the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Montgomery County.