Julian Castro

CEO, Latino Community Foundation; Former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Julian Castro serves as CEO of the Latino Community Foundation, the nation’s largest Latino-serving foundation. Julian’s deep commitment to the future of this nation is woven into his DNA. Raised by his mother, Rosie Castro, a civil rights and Chicana activist, and his grandmother, Victoria Castro, on the westside of San Antonio, Texas, Julian grew up with a profound understanding of what it means to love and serve community. Inspired by a legacy of leaders working to safeguard our democracy and strengthen community, Julian has dedicated his life to public service. Julian was elected to the San Antonio City Council in 2001 at age 26 and was then elected mayor of San Antonio in 2009. The youngest mayor of a top 50 American city at the time, Julian helped to revitalize and boost San Antonio into one of the country’s leading local economies. In 2014, President Barack Obama appointed Julian US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, where he served until the end of the Obama administration. In 2020, Julian ran for the Democratic nomination for president. Julian earned a bachelor of arts degree from Stanford University and a law degree from Harvard Law School. His memoir, An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up From My American Dream, was published by Little Brown in 2018. Julian is the proud father of a daughter, Carina, and a son, Cristian. Julian’s brother Joaquin currently represents Texas’ 20th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives. In his free time, Julian loves spending time and traveling with his family.