Description

Stephanie Castellanos is a Talent Consultant, Diversity & Inclusion strategist, expert facilitator and grassroots community organizer. Her passion for social innovation and youth empowerment stems from her upbringing in Inglewood, CA, experiences as the first in her family graduate from college, and as the daughter of Mexican immigrants.

Stephanie has innovated the recruitment strategies of national education and political organizations, working across more than 30 states including California, New York, Texas, and in Florida for President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign. Her expertise includes community organizing strategy, recruiting top-talent for nonprofits and school districts, diversity & inclusion training design and facilitation, and leadership development for first-generation & students of color.

She is the Co-Founder of The Coalition for Diverse Educators (C4DE), a national grassroots movement to increase teacher diversity in urban public schools. Stephanie’s leadership and equity trainings, WOKEshops, has empowered over 20,000 diverse youth, college students, young professionals and community leaders at over 70 campuses nation-wide.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Justice Now, a nonprofit organization advocating for the rights of women in prisons, and is a member of the Young Professionals Network (YPN) of Latinas Lead. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Major in Sociology and a Minor in Urban Planning & Regional Studies.

Key Topics

On WOKEshops

• If people knew the gravity of our teacher and the shortage we have, then more people would want to get involved. A lot of the time being the first in a family of color – The students are being pulled in different directions.
• In many ways, the youth will be the main one supporting their families.
• These help the youth write resumes and prepare for the workplace, because most of their families do not have that experience. Navigating through these things is difficult, but now she is able to share what she has learned with others.
• This work is happening all over the West Coast for recruitment and training.

On making a change

• Plant seed of hope first. Then, provide education and training around teaching.
• We create the change and the government isn’t going to make a change. It starts at the grassroots level with us.
• Her biggest challenge: Growing up and finding the right mentors. She didn’t feel like she had a lot of people to ask the big questions. Now, she gets to make a change for others and be the mentor for others.

On Education

• Charter schools don’t work well with traditional school districts. We can all work together and bridge the gap.
• The real question is how to...