Sarah M. Adelman

Founder & Principal, Adelman Advisory Partners

Sarah Adelman is a nationally recognized health and human services leader known for solving complex problems with a clear focus on how systems, programs and services work for people. 

Sarah served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services, where she led the state’s largest agency for five years. Appointed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she guided one of the nation’s largest health and human services systems through an unprecedented period of crisis while laying the foundation for lasting organizational transformation. She led nearly 8,000 employees and a $33 billion budget portfolio supporting Medicaid, behavioral health, aging and disability services, SNAP food assistance, child care, and other critical programs serving half of New Jersey’s children and one in four adults.

Under Sarah’s leadership, New Jersey strengthened access to health care and social services while modernizing programs, improving operations, expanding partnerships, and advancing practical, enduring and meaningful solutions. Her approach is grounded in the belief that lasting impact requires aligning strategy, teams, operations, and the experiences of the people systems are designed to serve. She is known for bringing people together across sectors, navigating high-stakes challenges, distilling complex issues to communicate with clarity, and translating ambitious ideas into practical, implementable solutions.  Explore selected accomplishments from Sarah's tenure as Commissioner.

Sarah currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of University Hospital, New Jersey’s only public academic health system. Before entering public service, she spent more than a decade in non-profit leadership focused on health care quality, managed care, and public policy.

As Founder & Principal of Adelman Advisory Partners, Sarah brings her experience in public service and executive leadership to advise organizations and leaders navigating their own complex challenges.