Keith Polan brings nearly 30 years of experience as a program administrator, researcher, quality improvement consultant and therapist to his role as Associate Vice President for Child Welfare in Children’s Home & Aid’s Metro Region. As Associate Vice President, Keith oversees the agency’s services for children in foster care and families with indicated cases of abuse and neglect whose children remain in the care of their parents.
Keith was the director of the agency’s Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Child & Family Center from 2008 to 2020. Under his leadership, the Rice Center has become a leader in Illinois in high-quality residential services for children who have experienced severe trauma. His prior experience includes conducting research at Northwestern University and providing community-based crisis mental health services.
Keith is on the board for the Association for Child Residential Centers (ACRC) and is a peer reviewer for the Council on Accreditation (COA). He has a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a Master of Social Work from Loyola University of Chicago. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.