Biography
Gilbert F. Casellas has a broad and diverse range of successful experiences at the highest levels of business, law and government and in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion, his experience spans global business enterprises, higher education, the federal government and the United States military.
He presently serves on diversity advisory boards for Toyota Motor North America, Comcast Corporation, T-Mobile US and previously was a member of The Coca-Cola Company’s Diversity Task Force and of The Procter & Gamble Company's Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board.
During the mid-2000’s, as Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Chief Diversity Officer for Dell Inc., he created a global diversity, sustainability and corporate giving function that encompassed operations in over 65 countries and nearly 100,000 employees.
His federal government experience includes serving as Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under President Clinton where he led the successful overhaul of the agency and its operations. Prior to his appointment as EEOC Chairman, he was appointed General Counsel of the Air Force where among his many duties he served as a member of the Defense Department’s Task Force on Discrimination and Sexual Harassment. He brought his diversity expertise to the Obama Administration when he was appointed a civilian expert to the Military Leadership Diversity Commission.
In the area of higher education, he was appointed in 2005 by Yale University's President to chair the University Council’s Committee on Workplace Diversity and as a longtime trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, he chaired the Trustees Committee on Diversity for over a decade.
A Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, he is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Bloomberg Law’s 1700-page treatise, Workplace Harassment, Second Edition (2018) and of its 2020 online edition.
In addition to his diversity advisory activities, he also serves on the board of directors of Prudential Financial, Inc. and the Advisory Board of the Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School. In addition to continuing as a trustee emeritus of the University of Pennsylvania, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Life Member of the American Law Institute.
He has practiced with major law firms and also served as president of a minority-owned and operated investment advisory firm. He is a former President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and recipient of the American Bar Association's “Spirit of Excellence” Award, the Air Force’s Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, and Latino Justice/PRLDEF's Lucero Award.
In 2018, the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) named him one of the 100 most influential boardroom leaders and in 2022 he earned the NACD’s Directorship Certification®️.
He received his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School and served as law clerk to the Hon. A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
A native of Tampa, Florida, he arrived at Yale in 1970 and became one of co-founders of Despierta Boricua. During his senior year, he served as a co-founder and executive director of Casa Boricua, Inc., an independent 501(c)(3) organization, that was established by Despierta Boricua in 1973 and that became a predecessor to La Casa Cultural.