Gerardo Castillo
Senior Vice President/Chief of Staff
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Gerardo Castillo recalls riding his bike to Capital Metro when he was 10 years old and asking for a job as a bus cleaner. He’s been a lifelong transit user, and this familiarity and commitment to the critical role transit plays in the community led to Castillo’s childhood realization to work in transit 18 years later when he was hired as Capital Metro’s Manager of Community Involvement. In that pivotal role, he led the massive community outreach needed prior to the launch of Austin’s much-anticipated MetroRail commuter line, which opened in 2010.
He has approached his career in transit much the same way he trains for Ironman triathlons. He says you have to “plan, prepare and execute and have the mental resilience to overcome adversity and persevere.”
His performance has led to his appointment as interim chief of staff in 2010. Castillo soon turned his attention to improving the agency’s financial position, and became the driving force behind Capital Metro’s earning the Texas Comptroller Gold Leadership Circle award in 2010, 2011 and 2012 for putting its financial records online which made Capital Metro the first transit agency in the state to do so.
In 2011, Castillo was appointed chief of staff, and was chosen by Linda Watson as a key member of the team charged with implementing the biggest organizational change in the agency’s history: contracting out all bus and paratransit services to private companies which realized a cost savings of about $30 million.
Having demonstrated leadership within Capital Metro and the community, Castillo was recently promoted to senior vice president/chief of staff, where he oversees the communications, diversity, board relations, government relations and marketing functions of Capital Metro.
“I thoroughly enjoy working collaboratively with my colleagues at Capital Metro and with members of the community to address challenges and provide solutions for continually improving the quality and reliable service we provide every day in our region.
“Initially when I was about 10 years old, I remember riding my bike to Capital Metro to ask for a job detailing buses. Growing up in Austin, I have been a lifelong transit user and customer of Capital Metro, and am very aware of the critical role transit plays in the community. This ultimately led me to Capital Metro.
“In a growing city like Austin, providing mobility choices is essential. We must have a robust transit system because we are the lifeline to work, school, church and all kinds of special events in the community. It’s special to be a part of making the transit system I grew up with be the best that it can be.
“I am passionate about photography because it allows me to express my creativity. From an exercise standpoint, I enjoy the challenge of racing in Ironman triathlons and running marathons because they provide me with a structure/ routine for daily training which I enjoy and strengthens my mental resilience which carry over into other things in my life.”
