Eight Questions for Julián Castro, CEO of the Latino Community Foundation

Image courtesy of the latino community foundation

As the new CEO of the Latino Community Foundation, Julián Castro took over the role from Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, who served as CEO from 2015 to 2023. A big name on the national political scene, Castro now helms a regional grantmaker with an expanding profile in its home state of California, where Latinos make up over 40% of the population. And as of this spring, the Latino Community Foundation (LCF) is extending its growth into the neighboring states of Nevada and Arizona with a new round of support for voter mobilization.

Castro’s rise to political stardom happened quickly. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Castro went on to attend Stanford University, where he studied political science and communications. Shortly after graduating from Harvard Law School, Castro was elected to the San Antonio City Council. At only 26 years old, he was elected mayor of San Antonio, becoming the youngest mayor of a major city. 

His political career continued to grow, and he served as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama from 2014 to 2017. Castro then made a bid for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020. His twin brother, Joaquin Castro, is currently a member of the House of Representatives. 

We recently caught up with Castro and discussed his move to philanthropy, his thoughts on his new role at LCF, and his hopes for the future of Latinos. Here are excerpts from our conversation, which has been edited for clarity and length. 

You've made a big career move. I remember being so surprised when I got the email with the news. What brought on the switch from politics to philanthropy, in general, and what brought you specifically to LCF?

I love the mission and the purpose of LCF because what LCF is trying to accomplish is making a difference in the lives of Latinos and Latinas. Up to now, I've been trying to do that through public service, and I just see this as another impactful way to make a difference. 

I grew up with a grandmother who was an immigrant from Mexico, who worked as a maid, a cook and a babysitter, who raised my mom as a single parent. My mom was a Chicana activist, trying to make change in her own community in Texas. So I see this role as an extension of my own and my family's desire to make a difference for the betterment of our community. And the Latino Community Foundation is so connected to the community. It's authentic. It's growing, and it has a lot to offer in California and beyond. 

Was there something specific that inspired the move to philanthropy?

I decided to take on a new challenge. Since I got out of law school, I felt like I'd been running for office or in office. I was ready for a break from it. But I was searching for an organization whose mission I could believe in, and I can believe in the mission and the purpose of LCF. I feel like this is another way of making a difference for people. It's different from public service, but it's very much the same in terms of being about trying to improve other people’s lives. So it wasn't anything too specific other than just feeling like I wanted a new challenge, and feeling like I wanted to put politics aside.

Who's been the biggest influence on your career?

The biggest influence has probably been my mom. I grew up with a mom who was a hellraiser. She was a Chicana activist, and she instilled in my brother, Joaquin, and me a sense that we shouldn't only do well for ourselves but that we should do good for others, too, that we should use our time and our energy and our talent to try and make sure that other people have the kind of opportunity that we've been blessed to have in life. And so she is easily the biggest influence on my life path. She's about to turn 77 in May. And so she remains an inspiration to me.

Happy early birthday to her! How have your experiences, both professional and personal, prepared you for the role of CEO of the Latino Community Foundation?

In many ways, the work that I was doing in public service is similar to what we're doing here at LCF. It's about building power in community and trying to improve the lives of other people. And in other ways, it's very different. One of the neatest things for me has been getting my head around how you solve problems coming at it through philanthropy — as opposed to coming at it through the public sector — and adjusting to that different mindset. So I feel like I've been well-prepared in terms of problem solving in seeing the way that a lot of different communities and the federal government have tried to solve problems. 

What's prepared me is understanding power and how it works, specifically in the public sector. What moves people to make decisions? Basically, how do you pull the levers of a system to make it go the way you want it to go? That's been very helpful. Where I'm learning a lot is, being removed from the public sector, how do you pull from the philanthropic side to make lasting change? I've enjoyed getting to visit with folks like Bob Ross [outgoing CEO of The California Endowment] and Priscilla Enriquez [CEO of the James B. McClatchy Foundation] and folks at a number of foundations, and learn from them already.

What excites you most about LCF and its future?

The chance to make a difference in the lives of more people. The Latino community is only growing in the state of California, and it's growing rapidly across the country. There's a lot of great work still left to be done, and the Latino Community Foundation will be at the forefront of doing it. I feel fortunate to take the baton at a moment when there's great momentum at LCF and also great need out there that we can help address. 

What if anything, keeps you up at night?

This is a very anxious and chaotic time, especially for the Latino community. I believe that there are a lot of people who stay up at night thinking about the consequences of November and what it's going to mean for our country and for the community. So these days, I'm thinking about how we can play our part to strengthen our democracy, make sure that we fight misinformation and disinformation, make sure that voters are well equipped with the facts, and that they're mobilized to actually go vote. Ultimately, in our democracy, we put our trust in the people. And so we're putting our investments and our trust in the people to protect our democracy in 2024 and to get through this anxious and chaotic moment that we're in.

And on the more positive side, what are your biggest hopes for the future of Latinos in the U.S.?

That so many more in our community can live out their American dream. I feel very blessed to have lived up to my dreams. That's exactly what I want for all those Latina girls and Latino boys like my own children, Carina and Cristian. I want more people crossing the graduation stage. I want more of them becoming engineers and doctors and teachers and whatever they want to be. And ultimately, I want them to be able to enjoy the same equality and opportunity as anybody in the country.

Any parting thoughts?

The Latino Community Foundation will be a big part of building the power of Latinas and Latinos in California and beyond in 2024 and in the years to come. It gives us a lot of joy, and it keeps us going to think that we're helping to create more success and prosperity in our community.