William Keator

The son of educators and a former teacher and coach himself, William Keator spent 17 years at the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, where he directed their national Higher Education and Secondary Education programs. The Higher Education program supported a range of colleges and universities across the country, while the Secondary Education program awarded grants to new and innovative programs for the professional development of high school teachers. This work included evaluations and on-site visits to hundreds of colleges and universities across the country. During his tenure, the programs combined to award nearly 500 grants totaling more than $95 million.

Before joining the Foundations, William was the first Program Officer for the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the newly-established National Football League (NFL) franchise. He helped develop the foundation’s community-based grant program, and directed several award-winning programs serving disadvantaged youth in greater Jacksonville, Florida.

William came to the Jaguars Foundation after working in New York City for the NFL’s Player Programs department, which provided continuing education, financial education, and career internships for active NFL players. He also helped develop the NFL Rookie Symposium, which became a signature program in player management for over 20 years.

Prior to joining the NFL, William earned a Master’s Degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in 1993.