Heyman named Vice President of Creative’s Education Division
By Michael J. ZambaJuly 31, 2022
Meet Cory Heyman, VP at Creative Associates International from Creative Associates Int’l on Vimeo.
Creative Associates International has named Cory Heyman, Ph.D., as the new Vice President and Senior Director of the Education for Development Division, which is currently implementing programs around the world that are supporting hundreds of thousands of students and educators.
Creative President and CEO Leland Kruvant says Heyman brings to the global organization a rich mix of successful program management, smart business development and extensive thought leadership. He will serve on Creative’s Executive Committee.
“Cory embraces the mission and vision of our education work,” Kruvant says. “He is the type of high-caliber talent who will continue cultivate our team of experts, build new local partnerships and support our education portfolio’s geographic and technical growth.”
With three decades of professional and academic work in global education, Heyman says he has long admired Creative for its locally focused programming and skilled implementation, particularly in challenging environments. Learn more about Heyman in this Q&A.
“What I believe is most exciting about Creative Associates is that it never takes on the easy projects,” Heyman says. “It always focuses on the most challenging circumstances and is willing to take on those challenges to help the children around the world who need education most. When I think of Creative Associates both in terms of the countries in which it works and the kinds of activities that it implements, I see the organization that goes the extra mile to make sure that every child is served in the best way possible.”
Creative’s Education for Development Division is implementing programs in Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mozambique, Yemen and Jordan. It recently wrapped up successful programs in Morocco, Afghanistan, Mozambique and Nigeria.
Heyman replaces Eileen St. George, Ph.D., who will assist in the transition of duties before taking a sabbatical after two decades of service with Creative.
Kruvant describes St. George as a person who brought tremendous professional experience and a personal commitment to the Education Division. “Eileen’s leadership attracted quality staff and continued to establish Creative as an innovative and results-driven organization,” he says.
St. George’s history with Creative spans more than two decades. She worked in Afghanistan in the early 2000s, served as Chief of Party for five years in Jordan for USAID’s flagship education reform project and eventually returned to the United States as Director of Creative’s Education in Conflict practice area in 2014. Later, she was name Vice President and Senior Director of the Education Division.
“Eileen’s distinguished leadership in the field and headquarters has helped to build our reputation, expand into new countries and change the lives of millions of students and educators,” Kruvant says.
St. George’s work began in the United States as a special education teacher but quickly expanded globally after joining the Peace Corps to serve as a teacher trainer in Sierra Leone. Since then, her work in global development has included serving as project director for a highly regarded $95 million accelerated education project in Afghanistan, assisted projects in Cambodia and Vietnam and spent two and a half years in Ethiopia building capacity of regional government education bureaus to respond to a multifaceted national education reform process.
Heyman’s three decades of experience
Prior to joining Creative, Heyman has worked in the private, public and nonprofit sectors for three decades, with a career focus on reducing poverty and increasing social mobility in the United States and around the world.
From 2010 to 2016, he was at Room to Read as its Chief Program Officer, followed by holding the post of Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director of the Room to Read Accelerator from 2016 to 2018. From 2007 to 2010, he was the Vice President and Deputy Director at the Academy for Education Development (AED). Heyman stepped out of international development to be an owner of a franchise restaurant business that focused on providing healthy meals and employment skill development in south central Pennsylvania, which included two locations.
Heyman earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and a B.A. in Political Economy and Industrial Societies with a concentration in Education Development in Developing Countries and M.P.P. from the University of California Berkeley.
His commitment to education is based on his academic and professional work around the world. Learn more about Heyman in this Q&A.
“Education is fundamental to everything that we do in life,” he says. “It provides the opportunity for social mobility but also critical thinking skills. As we have a world of disinformation people who have more education have the opportunity to think critically and assess information for themselves and make the best decisions possible for them in life.”
About Creative Associates International
Creative Associates International is a social-impact company that works with underserved communities by sharing expertise and experience in education, elections, economic growth, governance and transitions from conflict to peace.
Based in Chevy Chase, MD., Creative has active projects in nearly 30 countries. Since 1977, it has worked in more than 90 countries and on almost every continent. Recognized for its ability to work rapidly, flexibly and effectively in conflict-affected environments, Creative is committed to generating long-term sustainable solutions to complex development problems.
Creative has grown to become one of the leaders among the U.S. private sector implementers of global development projects. Creative is minority owned and operated.