The Campaign for Catholic Schools, an advocate for rebuilding Greater Boston’s urban Catholic schools, including those in Dorchester, has elected Gerald V. “Jerry” Sheehan, as the organization’s first-ever Lifetime Trustee in appreciation of his “extraordinary leadership and philanthropic support.”

Sheehan and his wife Maureen have been an integral part of CCS’s growth, ensuring that countless young people from Greater Boston’s most at-risk neighborhoods, especially Brockton and Dorchester, receive a top-notch Catholic education in a safe, caring environment.

“He believed in the vision of our co-founder, the late Jack Connors, Jr., and he has been a thoughtful and valued leader every step of the way,” said Bob Atchinson, managing director of Adage Capital Management and chair of the board for the Campaign for Catholic Schools. “This is really a case of we couldn’t have built this organization without him.”

Sheehan served as president of L. Knife & Son, a fifth-generation family-owned company located in Kingston, Mass., that became one of the largest Anheuser-Busch and craft beer distributors in the United States.