Club Meeting: The Economic Importance of the Latino Community

Gale Castillo, President of Canopy, Inc., will be speaking on The Economic Importance of the Latino Community.

The Rotary Club of Wilsonville meets weekly Thursdays at noon to carry out its purpose of providing service and fellowship to members and the Wilsonville community. Guests are welcome. Lunch is available off the menu; please arrive and order by 11:45 a.m. if you are ordering lunch. For more information, email president@wilsonvillerotary.com.

Official bio:  Gale Castillo is the president and co-owner of Canopy, one of the largest privately held companies that provides a variety of mental health and wellbeing services globally. Canopy has been recognized by the Portland Business Journal in 2023 as the number one small business “Healthiest Employers” and one of the top innovative companies in Oregon Business Employers.

Castillo is also the chair of the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber (Hispanic Chamber). Castillo previously served as the president and executive director of the Hispanic Chamber for over 20 years. She is one of the founders of the Hispanic Chamber that was established in 1994.

Castillo has worked in both the public and private sector.  Public service has included working as an assistant to Gov. Neil Goldschmidt, recommending appointments to boards and commissions.  Ms. Castillo was appointed by the governor as the state manager of the Oregon Economic Development Department’s Job Training Administration. In the private sector, Ms. Castillo has worked for AT&T, Pacific Northwest Bell, and RESTOR Communications in management, marketing, and national sales positions.

Castillo has been recognized by many groups over the years for her community service. The most recent awards include:

• 2023-The Portland Business Journal Women of Influence, Joan Austin Impact Award, the highest award for this event.
• 2022-The Mexican Consul of Oregon presented Ms. Castillo with the Ohtli Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Government of Mexico to individuals that have worked to “open the path” for new Mexican Americans and Hispanic generations.
• 2019-Recognized by the Oregon Historical Society as one of “Oregon’s History Makers”.
• 2016-Congressman Earl Blumenauer recognized Ms. Castillo at his Annual Women’s Leadership Luncheon for outstanding service.
• 2014-Ms. Castillo was presented with the Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement for the Minority Enterprise Development Week by the Business Development Institute for playing an integral role in the progress of minority business development.
• Also in 2014-Ms. Castillo received a Civic award by the Center for Women’s Leadership.

Ms. Castillo has provided community services to a variety of organizations. Her current community involvements include:

• Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber, Board Chair
• Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Portland Branch, Board Member
• American Leadership Forum, Class IV Fellow and
• International Women’s Forum, Portland

Ms. Castillo is the first in her family to graduate from high school and college. She earned her bachelor of arts from Linfield University, followed by a master of arts in education from Portland State University. She also completed the Executive Education Program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and the Leadership Development Program at the Center for Creative Leadership.

Ms. Castillo is Mexican-American. Her family is originally from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, which was originally part of Mexico. She was raised in Oakland, California in an ethnically diverse community.

Ms. Castillo is married to Jerry Brown. They have three sons: Anthony Castillo Brown, Robert Castillo Mejia, and Brett Brown.