SOURCE U.S. Commission on Civil RightsPresident Barack Obama has designated Marty Castro as the Chairperson of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. A unanimous vote of the Commission approved the President's designation of Mr. Castro as the Chairperson at its regular business meeting on March 11, 2011.
Mr. Castro becomes the eighth chairperson of the Commission since its inception in 1957, and the first Latino chairperson in the Commission's history. Mr. Castro was appointed by President Obama to the Commission on January 27, 2011.
Chairperson Castro said, "I am humbled by the confidence that President Obama and my fellow Commissioners have shown in me by elevating me to Chairperson of the Commission. As the son and grandson of immigrants from Mexico who came to this county for the hope it offered, and as a proud American, I am honored to serve my country in this important capacity. I believe the Commission has an important role to play in ensuring that the American Dream continues to be available to all persons in the United States. I also look forward to working with my fellow Commissioners and our staff to ensure that the Commission renews its mission to be our Nation's conscience on civil rights issues."
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Marty Castro is currently the President of Castro Synergies, LLC, which provides strategic consulting services to corporations, entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations. Prior to founding his consulting company, Mr. Castro was Vice President of External Affairs, Head of Strategic Business Development at Aetna, Inc. in Chicago. He also held partner positions at Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, LLP, Seyfarth Shaw, LLP, Baker & McKenzie, and Castro, Gomez, Durbin & De Jesus, LLC, where his work included corporate law, commercial litigation, diversity consulting and government affairs.
