Debra BenAvram is the CEO of the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB), a leading healthcare organization ensuring the safety, quality, and availability of blood and biotherapies worldwide. Representing members across 80 countries, AABB sets rigorous standards, accredits institutions, and delivers education aimed at optimizing patient and donor care. BenAvram is a passionate advocate for blood donation and biotherapies, ensuring these critical resources are available when and where they are needed.

Under her leadership, AABB has undergone a cultural and organizational transformation, including a full name and brand redesign, reflecting the diversity of its global membership and solidifying its role as a leader in biotherapies. BenAvram played a pivotal role in advocating for the successful revision of U.S. blood donor criteria, expanding eligibility by eliminating questions based on sexual orientation. In 2022, she further advanced the field by launching the first-ever credential for professionals in cellular therapy, the Certified Advanced Biotherapies Professional

With nearly 25 years of association management experience, BenAvram is highly respected for her strategic vision, talent management, and dedication to fostering inclusive cultures that drive innovation. Before joining AABB in 2018, she served as CEO of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, where she led the organization for more than a decade, driving strategy and global engagement.

BenAvram has been widely recognized for her leadership and contributions to the business and association sectors, including with the Emerging Leader Award from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), the Forty Under 40 Business Leader award by Washington Business Journal and listed as a Top CEO by CEO Update. She was named an ASAE Fellow in 2016 and is a past member of the ASAE Board of Directors.

In addition to her executive leadership roles, BenAvram is deeply committed to high impact causes that support vulnerable communities. She co-founded the Sanctuary Uganda Foundation, an initiative that transforms the lives of high-risk children in Eastern Uganda with a safe, loving home and access to education. She also serves as Board chair of the Center for Survivor Agency and Justice, a national organization dedicated to economic security for domestic violence survivors.

BenAvram lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband, Vincent, their two children, and their two Newfoundlands.