Ida L. Castro

Ida L. Castro
Ida L. Castro
Chairwoman of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
In office October 23, 1998 – August 13, 2001

Ida L. Castro was the first Hispanic/Latina appointed by President Clinton and unanimously confirmed as Chairwoman of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and served from October 23, 1998, to August 13, 2001. During her tenure Castro eliminated the charge backlog, increased the operating budget and effectively applied all laws within EEOC jurisdiction.

Early life

Castro received a B.A. degree from the University of Puerto Rico, and M.A. Labor Studies from Rutger Graduate School and Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark in 1982. She is licensed in New York and New Jersey. She has presented in universities, colleges and keynoted speeches and national events and has been recognized for her achievements by the NJ Hispanic Bar Association, Mexican American Leadership and Education Fund, Rutgers Alum Hall of Fame, Rutgers School of Law Alumni Association. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate of Human Letters by St. Joseph's College.

Career

Prior to joining the EEOC, Castro served as the acting director of the Women's Bureau at the United States Department of Labor from 1996 to 1998. She also served at Department of Labor as deputy assistant secretary and director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs from 1994 to 1996. During her service she received three Hammer Awards granted by Vice President Al Gore for her leadership in restructuring and streamlining government.

Prior to her service for the Administration, Ms. Castro worked as a labor and employment lawyer as well as a professor. She was the first woman to earn tenure as an associate professor at Rutgers University, Institute for Management and Labor Relations. During her extensive career as an attorney, she held the following positions: Senior Legal Counsel for Legal Affairs, Health and Hospital Corporation of New York City, the nation's largest municipal health care system; Special Counsel to the President and Director of Labor Relations, Hostos Community College, City University of New York; Associate counsel, Eisner, Levy, Pollack and Ratner; and Associate Counsel, Giblin and Giblin. Castro, representing the New Jersey Public Advocate's Office was a member of the litigation team during the trial of the seminal case Abbot v. Burke, in New Jersey effectively causing the eventual restructuring of the financing of public education to increase equities of poor urban children.

Subsequent to her service as Chairwoman, Ms. Castro, appointed by Governor McGreevey, served as Commissioner of Personnel in the State of New Jersey from 2002 through 2004. She was a visiting professor at the CUNY School of Law where she served as the Haywood Burns Chair. In 2005, Castro established her own consulting firm specializing on Diversity Management. She then became Vice President Government of Affairs, a founding executive, at V-ME Television, and helped establish a national television network in Spanish designed to provide high quality programs to the Spanish-speaking audience. Since 2008 she serves as founding executive of an independent medical College, The Commonwealth Medical College, in Scranton, Pennsylvania where she serves as Vice President of Government and Community Relations and Chief Diversity Officer. In that capacity, Castro contributes to curriculum supporting course work addressing cultural competencies; created a pipeline program and assisted more than 500 disadvantaged students to achieve college and post-graduate degrees in health related fields.

Castro has also held leadership positions in a number of Hispanic organizations. She founded the first Hispanic women's group in New Jersey and was the first Hispanic appointed by that state's governor to the New Jersey Commission on the Status of Women. Among the numerous awards she has received for her advocacy on behalf of minorities and women is the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Puerto Rican Legal and Education Fund.

Castro currently serves on the Scranton Area Foundation Board and chairs their Human Resources Committee. She also is a founder of Women in Philanthropy, a foundation initiative to increase engaged philanthropy for the benefit of women and girls in northeast Pennsylvania. Castro also serves on the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce and chairs its nomination committee. In addition, Castro chaired the Employment Opportunity Training Center Board from 2013-2015 and is a member of the board of United Neighborhood Center in Scranton, PA.