Keila dos Santos was just appointed CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, but she has her own definition of the position.

“I say chief empowerment officer because our brand is all about empowerment,” she said.
Dos Santos was hired after eight months as the organization’s Systems Integration and Growth Strategist.

She said she “just really fell in love with the mission and with what we were doing and got a really deep understanding about how things worked and the opportunities that were really there within the community and within the business itself.”

She said her business background helped prepare her for this, calling herself a professional problem solver.

For nearly 20 years, dos Santos has built a career in business development, digital strategy, and social impact. Now she says she’s found the perfect fit.

“For the last 10 years, I’ve really been looking for an organization that I feel inspired to commit myself to wholeheartedly,” she said.

“There’s never a dull moment,” she added.

She says she has big goals for the future.

“It’s really just about getting out there, making partners in the community, reintroducing ourselves to the community, showing up in the community and being seen,” she said.

Back in December, Big Brothers Big Sisters renewed its High School Leadership Program in Schenectady. Now they are hoping to bring that program to Albany.   

In honor of Women’s History month, all month in our Upstate of Business report, NewsChannel 13 will be highlighting women in the Capital Region business community.