Since 1964, AIFS has been a leading organization providing cultural exchange and educational opportunities for more than 1.8 million young people.
For over 60 years, we have been committed to cross-cultural exchange. Under the direction of Chairman William L. Gertz, AIFS continues to operate its diverse selection of programs as a social enterprise. AIFS maintains an organizational structure that ensures that we have the resources to find new and innovative ways to pursue our core mission of bringing the world together; a mission dedicated to achieving positive social outcomes through global outreach.
We are very proud to consistently receive high satisfaction ratings from our program participants year after year.
AIFS was named one of the top places to work in Connecticut in 2011, 2015 and again in 2018.
We organize cultural exchange programs for more than 50,000 participants each year.
We bring the world together®
To provide the highest quality educational and cultural exchange programs to enrich the lives of young people throughout the world.
Sir Cyril Taylor was born in Yorkshire, England. He was the Founder and Chairman of AIFS and had a long and distinguished career in public service and education. At age 18 he received a National Service Commission serving with the King鈥檚 African Rifles in Kenya. Following his military service he went to Cambridge University graduating with an honors degree in history from Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He then decided to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School for which he was awarded the Charles Bell Scholarship by the London Chamber of Commerce.
In February 2018, Bill Gertz was elected Chairman of AIFS, a leading organization in the field of educational and cultural exchange. Bill led AIFS as CEO from 2005 - 2022, originally under the leadership of Founder Sir Cyril Taylor. Bill is a native New Yorker with more than 40 years of experience in International Education. He is a graduate of SUNY Binghamton, where he studied journalism and majored in European history. Shortly after college, he worked as a freelance writer, investigative reporter, and editor. Later, Bill completed the Strategic Marketing Management Program at Harvard Business School and in 2014 received an Honorary Doctorate in International Relations from Richmond, the American International University in London.
In 1998, Jack Burg joined AIFS as Assistant VP of Finance and in 2005 was promoted to Chief Financial Officer. In 2013, Jack鈥檚 role was expanded to Chief Operating Officer in addition to his responsibilities as CFO. Jack was promoted once again in 2023 and now serves as AIFS President & CEO.