Aviva Welcomes New Director of People & Culture

Sonja J. Hayes joined the Aviva Family as Director of People & Culture in February. She began her career in the human resources arena working for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office supporting the dedicated employees assigned to the Administrative Bureau of the agency. She has worked for both private and public organizations in Tampa Bay. Prior to transitioning to human resources, Ms. Hayes spent 12 years working in student services at higher education institutions, first in Massachusetts and then Florida after relocating here in 2006.

Before working in higher education, Ms. Hayes was a practicing attorney, licensed in the State of Connecticut. Her areas of practice included elder law and estate planning.

Ms. Hayes holds a SHRM-CP certification from the Society for Human Resource Management. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Western New England University in Springfield, MA and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Vermont.