Bill Gertz, AIFS President and CEO

A native of New York, Bill Gertz has served as the President and CEO of AIFS since 2005. With more than 30 years of experience in International Education, Bill has broad and diverse interests. He is a graduate of Suny Binghamton, where he studied journalism. Shortly after college, he worked as a freelance writer, investigative reporter and editor. More recently, he completed the Strategic Marketing Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Bill's early career in journalism allowed him to cultivate an interest in world affairs and foreign cultures. In 1973, he spent the summer backpacking through Europe with friends. Greatly inspired by his travels, Bill then moved to France, where he was able to experience European life first hand. Upon his return stateside, he made the decision to enter the field of International Education and in 1976, became marketing manager for the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE). Later, he founded a marketing and public relations company, where he served clients as diverse as the artist Peter Max as well as numerous youth and student travel organizations, including the British Tourist Authority.

In 1985, Bill joined AIFS as Associate Marketing Director. During his tenure at AIFS, Bill has led many initiatives that have been instrumental to the growth and direction of the company. In 1986, Bill helped AIFS launch the Au Pair in America program, which today is the largest Au Pair placement agency in the world. Bill’s other major accomplishments at AIFS include the creation of the Database Marketing Division in 1993 and the establishment of the first AIFS website in 1995.

In addition to his role as AIFS President and CEO, Bill also serves as Vice Chairman of the AIFS Board of Directors and as an AIFS Foundation Trustee. He was formerly on the Executive Board of the International Au Pair Association (IAPA) and EDU Educational Services, Inc. Presently, Bill serves on the Development Committee of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the National Advisory Council of John Hopkins University School of Education and is a member of the Executive Committee for the Alliance for International Educational & Cultural Exchange.

Father of a gifted child, Bill is also active in the field of gifted education and serves on the Advisory Board of the National Society for Gifted and Talented and previously on the State of Connecticut Board of Gifted and Talented Students.

Bill currently lives in Fairfield, Connecticut with his wife Evelyn, a classical guitarist and their dog Nightfull. Their son Matthew is a senior researcher at MediaMatters.org and daughter Susannah a student at Ithaca College. Bill enjoys traveling, writing, music and movies.