My Dad Was a DREAMer, and I'm Living That Dream Now

Vince Casillas

Vince Casillas is a second-generation Mexican-American. He founded and became President of Casillas Strategies in 2011. Casillas Strategies is a full-service Public Relations firm which specializes in Strategic Communications & Outreach, Messaging & Branding, Latino Marketing, Government Relations/Lobbying and Parent Engagement Development in Education. Recent clients have included Exelon, Blue Northern Energy, New Schools for Chicago, Citizen Consulting Group, PACO Collective, One Chance Illinois, the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, Independent Maps and the Spanish Community Center—Joliet. Prior to this Casillas was a Partner at Balsera Communications out of Miami, Florida, where he was brought in to oversee operations and business development at the agency's Washington, D.C., office. Under the leadership of Casillas the firm provided services to the Obama administration, including the Department of Interior, the Federal Communications Commission and the White House. Balsera Communications was responsible for Spanish paid media services during the 2008 Obama Presidential Campaign. In 2008 Casillas was the National Hispanic Communications Director for the Obama for America presidential campaign. In this capacity he served as a campaign spokesperson and worked with national Spanish language press outlets to coordinate interviews with the presidential and vice presidential candidates. This included providing policy briefings for the candidates. He also coordinated all Spanish-speaking surrogate interviews on behalf of the Obama campaign. Before working on the Obama for America campaign, Casillas was the lead organizer and lobbyist to the Illinois Latino Caucus for A+ Illinois, a coalition that was created to mobilize communities and lobby state legislators to change the way Illinois funds public education. Casillas got involved in politics after being inspired by the 2007 immigration marches and subsequently worked on his first political campaign as a Coordinator for the Richard M. Daley for Mayor 2007 campaign and then the Iris Martinez for State Senator Campaign as a Strategist. Casillas has also worked for organizations like Greater West Town Academy, Erie Neighborhood House, Lifelink, Illinois Latino Coalition for Prevention, Dominican University and Harold Washington College. Casillas resides in Joliet, Illinois, and has two children, Diego and Isabella, of whom he is very proud.