Date of Birth:

April 22, 1939, Watsonville, CA

Date of Death:

July 18, 2020, San José, CA

SECTORS:

Arts
Social Justice & Community

BIO:

A mother, wife, and grandmother, Carmen Castellano was the co-founder and past president of the Castellano Family Foundation, which supports the arts and culture, education, and leadership development in Santa Clara County. Castellano was an advocate, philanthropist, and the inspiration behind the foundation and its founding mission as a charity dedicated to the cultivation and enrichment of Latino family values. Castellano’s love of the arts began as a young girl with piano lessons and ballet, tap, baton twirling, and acrobatics. She was raised by a mother who loved classical music and opera and would instill this love for the arts in her children and grandchildren. Castellano understood her role as the only Latino philanthropist in the room and challenged organizations to look at their work with an equity lens for leaders of color. Carmen Castellano was a lover of music and art and . She shared her love of the arts with her husband Alcario Castellano at events throughout San José.

Honoree Photo Credit: Castellano Family Foundation, http://castellano-ff.org/about/in-memoriam/ (File photo by Josie Lepe)

TRIBUTE ARTIST:

Sofia Arredondo