Akm M. Rahman

Former Branch Chief at HHS

Akm M. Rahman's profile photo
Government service11yrsHealth and Human Services Department (HHS)

About

I’ve spent my career making public programs actually work for people — first across 24 years in state government and then more than a decade as a federal manager. As Program Operations Branch Chief at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (2014–2025), I ran day-to-day operations for a $4.0B LIHEAP portfolio, restructured fund allocation strategies to accelerate disbursement across 200+ jurisdictions, and led the implementation of American Rescue Plan and COVID-19 LIHEAP appropriations to fully obligate emergency funding. I modernized grant management and oversight systems, introduced renewable energy coordination into LIHEAP guidance to link community solar and resilience projects with household aid, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with state, territory, and tribal administrators to simplify processes so help reaches families faster.

I lead with empathy, practical accountability, and a relentless focus on equity. My state experience taught me that durable change happens through iterative design, clear guidance for implementers, and centering frontline and community voices. I built and coached multidisciplinary teams, hosted a national Poverty Fellowship to connect research with operations, and ran targeted technical assistance and monitoring that materially improved grant recipient compliance and program performance. I also built partnerships across federal departments — working closely with the Department of Energy, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other ACF programs — and partnered with national stakeholder organizations and state and tribal networks to align eligibility, reduce duplication, and expand benefit access for households.

Now I bring that operational expertise and civic purpose to board service, advisory roles, and consulting. I’m energized by opportunities to scale equitable, sustainable public programs and to help organizations move from strategy to adoption-ready practice. If you want a pragmatic systems builder who listens first, builds with frontline partners, and insists on measurable results, that is the work I want to keep doing.

Roles

Dec 2014–Jul 2025
Former role

Program Operations Branch Chief

Health and Human Services Department (HHS)

District of Columbia

  • Directed a $4.0B LIHEAP portfolio and restructured fund allocation strategy to accelerate disbursement and improve targeting across 200+ jurisdictions, achieving measurable reductions in household energy insecurity.

  • Led implementation of American Rescue Plan and COVID‑19 LIHEAP appropriations (≈$4.0B), achieving 100% obligation of emergency funds and providing targeted technical assistance that increased benefit uptake and shortened processing times.

  • Modernized grant management and oversight systems, deploying data‑driven performance frameworks and streamlined compliance processes that improved reporting accuracy, reduced corrective‑action cycles, and increased audit readiness.

  • Introduced renewable energy integration into LIHEAP guidance by adding solar coordination language to grant applications and negotiating procedural linkages with DOE and state partners to align LIHEAP investments with community solar initiatives, expanding resilience and reducing long‑term household energy costs.

  • Built and supervised a multidisciplinary staff of program managers, auditors, contracted specialists, and policy analysts; implemented coaching, professional development, and succession planning that improved retention and leadership bench strength.

  • Established and managed a two‑year national Poverty Fellowship in partnership with University of Wisconsin, hosting four fellows and translating fellowship research into operational procedures linking home energy assistance to social determinants of health.

  • Directed grants monitoring and targeted technical assistance (TTA) activities, coordinating interventions that materially increased grantee compliance and program performance metrics.

  • Led monitoring and audit coordination with HHS staff and contractors, HHS‑OIG, GAO, and state auditors across top states and 100+ grant recipients over a ten‑year period, resulting in strengthened internal controls and reduced audit findings.

  • Led DOE‑led client eligibility and service coordination workgroups and operational alignment with HUD and USDA to reduce duplication and increase bundled benefit access for households.

  • Coordinated cross‑HHS initiatives with Head Start, Office of Legislative and Budget, CDC, CMS, and other HHS community services programs to integrate energy assistance into health, early childhood, and planning—improving whole‑family outcomes.

 Also served as Acting Division Director from time to time and:

  • Provided executive leadership for national LIHEAP strategy and operations, aligning program design with federal priorities to improve responsiveness and stakeholder confidence.

  • Managed multi‑billion dollar budget formulation and execution, reprioritizing investments for emergency response and equity‑focused initiatives while maintaining rigorous fiscal controls.

  • Represented the Division in White House briefings and Congressional hearings, securing bipartisan support for program enhancements and emergency funding.

  • Directed procurement, legislative clearances, and intergovernmental negotiations to accelerate approvals for program innovations and ensure transparency and compliance.

 

Aug 1992–Dec 2014
Former role

Senior Program Coordinator

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities

Boston, Massachusetts