New VP of Education Division appointed at Creative Associates International
November 26, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Creative Associates International has appointed Eileen St. George as Vice President of its Education Division, the global development organization announced.
“I welcome this opportunity to continue to work at a new level to improve the education of children and youth around the world,” said St. George, who most recently was the Director of Creative’s Education in Conflict Practice Area.
Creative’s President and CEO Leland Kruvant congratulated St. George on her appointment, which was approved by the Board in November.
“After an exhaustive search which attracted an impressive group of applicants, a committee selected Eileen based on her Practice Area leadership, mentorship of fellow staff, demonstrated commitment to outstanding program implementation, in-depth technical knowledge of education and development and a profound commitment to excellence,” Kruvant said.
The Division has an expansive portfolio of current and former projects throughout Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, with an emphasis on education in conflict, instructional systems, early grade reading and at-risk learners, among other areas. Creative implements projects on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.K.’s Department for International Development and other organizations.
“The Creative team is mission driven,” St. George said. “They are a passionate group of educators, who take a holistic and contextual approach to understanding the priorities, opportunities and barriers to education service delivery with our local counterparts and stakeholders. We embrace a collaborative and capacity building approach in working with stakeholders and beneficiaries to build solutions.”
St. George combines extensive field work—including long-term postings in six countries, such as Afghanistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia and Jordan—with a Ph.D. in Educational Research. Her impressive resume also includes work as a school teacher and special education instructor in the United States, as well as a trainer of teachers as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone.
St. George joined Creative in 2002 as the Deputy Director of a Basic Education IQC and further distinguished herself directing Creative’s groundbreaking, USAID-funded Afghanistan Primary Education Program (APEP) from 2003 to 2006, an accelerated-learning program that gave nearly 170,000 young Afghans who had not received an adequate primary education a chance to reach their appropriate grade level. Despite security threats, APEP provided classes in nearly 3,600 communities across 17 provinces.
After other international postings, St. George returned to Creative’s Washington, D.C., headquarters in 2014 to lead the Education in Conflict Practice Area.
As the Vice President of the Education Division, she will serve on Creative’s Executive Committee and report to Executive Vice President for Programs Earl Gast.
To read a Q&A with Eileen St. George about Creative’s approach to education, click here.