SOS welcomes international education leader Jerrold Keilson to Board of Directors 

More than forty years of experience in international education, exchange, training and development have cemented Keilson as a passionate and trusted thought leader in the development community. 

His deep commitment to education and international development is critical to our work as we ensure children grow up in loving homes, strengthen families and build more resilient communities in more than 136 countries worldwide. 

Keilson’s experience is split between new business development and managing large and complex education and youth-focused leadership programs.  Most recently, he directed a USAID-funded youth leadership training program across 49 African countries.  

Previously, he directed global portfolios of programs supporting literacy, teacher training, research, educational improvement and support for at-risk children. Several of these programs were in challenging conflict and crisis environments. 

As a member of senior leadership in several organizations, he often led strategic and business planning for the organization, managed large international teams, represented the organizations in public venues and with donors and clients and was responsible for meeting financial and growth targets.  Keilson began his career as a Foreign Service Office with the U.S. Department of State, serving in three overseas posts. 

Keilson is an experienced teacher and lecturer. He taught graduate courses on development management and global governance for American University and the School for International Training.  

He has published on development practice and on public and cultural diplomacy. He is co-founder and President of the Center for Development History, an effort to gather and preserve the experiences of development professionals and make the information available to researchers, practitioners and policymakers.  

He has served as a board member at the Basic Education Coalition, National Council for International Visitors and Public Diplomacy Council. 

Keilson earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Clark University. He holds a master’s degree in history from the University of Massachusetts and did post-graduate work in U.S. History at the University of Maryland. 

When he isn’t working, Keilson and his wife enjoy time with their seven- and three-year-old grandchildren. In keeping with their philanthropic vision, the couple have completed several road cycling centuries in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Keilson serves as a patient advocate for the Glaucoma Research Foundation, helping others navigate challenges and thrive, despite their diagnosis. He is an avid science-fiction reader and an amateur genealogist for his family. 

About SOS Children’s Villages:   

SOS Children’s Villages is the world’s largest organization providing safe, loving homes to children without parental care. For more than 75 years and in 130 countries, SOS Children’s Villages has been raising children with everything they need—loving families, healthy food, quality education, professional health care and more. SOS provides continual support as young people transition into adulthood—all while strengthening the families and communities around them, so children and young people can reach their full potential and thrive.