Caitlyn McElroy

Vice President of Operations

As the Vice President of Operations, Cait partners with our country office teams to design and implement technical portfolios and manage day-to-day operations on the ground to strengthen CERI’s impact and ultimately improve the lives of the children and families in CERI’s programs.  

How It Started:  

Prior to joining CERI, Cait was a Foreign Service Officer with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She most recently served as the Deputy Director of the Education and Health Development Office at USAID/Honduras supporting the implementation and management of a $115 million portfolio comprised of 17 projects. Cait also served as USAID’s Children in Adversity and Education Advisor in Cambodia, leading the U.S. Government’s Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity strategy in Cambodia across agencies

Why CERI? 

Cait’s career started, and has always been guided, by her passion and commitment to contribute to making the world a better place for ALL children. This has led her to work on child protection, education, health, and youth programs to increase efficiency and improve programmatic impact in more than 10 countries over the last 15 years. It is that same passion and commitment that led her to CERI in 2025.

What Protecting Childhood Means: 

Protecting childhood means creating a world in which ALL children not only survive, but can thrive and reach their full potential in safe and nurturing family care.