Martha Castillo

Background

About Martha Castillo

Let’s Partner to Expand Educational Equity If you’re a funder, grant maker, or mission-aligned partner ready to invest in proven results, let’s connect. Together, we can scale a model that turns first-generation students into diverse leaders who transform their communities. Partnership & Funding Inquiries: mcastillo@litlv.org | I am a nonprofit executive committed to transforming educational equity into measurable, scalable impact. As Executive Director of Leaders in Training (LIT), I lead a proven college access and leadership development model with a 100% college acceptance rate and an 80% postsecondary persistence rate for first-generation students in Las Vegas. Our results speak for themselves: 250+ students served annually through a cohort-based model from high school to college graduation 13 years of community trust built through authentic engagement with students, families, and local partners Alumni now leading in sectors from education to technology, giving back to the communities that raised them My role at LIT: Fund Development & Partnerships – Secure grants, cultivate donors, and engage corporate and foundation partners to sustain and scale our mission statewide and nationally Strategic Leadership – Align programs, operations, and team performance to achieve bold growth targets in our strategic plan Impact Expansion – Strengthen program evaluation and data-driven storytelling to demonstrate return on investment for our supporters Community Representation – Serve as the public face of LIT, advocating for systemic change in college access and leadership pipelines What sets my approach apart is integrating the GanasRISE Framework—a culturally responsive model I developed from my doctoral research—to strengthen student persistence, leadership identity, and community impact. Funders, investors, and mission-aligned partners: Let’s work together to scale a proven, high-impact model that turns first-generation students into the next generation of diverse leaders.