Castellanos named chair of Brooklyn College Foundation

Anthony Castellanos, new board chair of the Brooklyn College Foundation. Photo: Brooklyn College

The Brooklyn College Foundation has announced that longtime Board of Trustees member Anthony R. Castellanos ’85 is now serving as board chair, effective this month. Castellanos follows Evan Silverstein ’76, who had been chair since 2017.

“We are thrilled to welcome Tony Castellanos into this new role,” Brooklyn College President Michelle J. Anderson said. “We are confident that the foundation will continue to thrive in its important work under his leadership. I would also like to thank Evan Silverstein for his board leadership in supporting the college’s mission, particularly through the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Castellanos, who grew up in Brooklyn, has served as an active member of the Board of Trustees since 2016 and most recently was the chair of the Audit and Finance Committee. He is a 38-year accounting professional, who recently retired from KPMG.

During his nearly 18 years as a KPMG partner, he served numerous multinational clients in his roles as national partner-in-charge of industry sectors for KPMG’s U.S. Tax Practice; media and entertainment sector leader; and global account lead partner.

“I am looking forward to helping lead the dynamic team at the Brooklyn College Foundation,” Castellanos said. “I have always said that the best investment I ever made was a Brooklyn College education, and my goal is to share that gift with as many students as possible.”

Throughout his career, Castellanos has been a mentor and coach to rising professionals and students, especially those from underrepresented immigrant and first-generation backgrounds.

He also established the Anthony R. Castellanos ’85 Scholarship to support Brooklyn College students majoring in the college’s CPA-eligible accounting programs. His commitment to education has also led to work on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Murray Koppelman School of Business at Brooklyn College.

A first-generation Cuban American, Castellanos began his career in accounting while attending Brooklyn College. As a student, he prepared tax returns and performed bookkeeping services for clients of a local accounting firm.

Active in the student community and campus life, Castellanos served as a member of the Brooklyn College Student Council, president of the Accounting Society, and member and past president of the Beta Eta Chapter of Alpha Phi Delta. He earned his B.S. in accounting in January 1985.

Upon graduating from Brooklyn College, he accepted an associate position with Price Waterhouse (now part of PwC, one of accounting’s “big four” firms), where he launched his career in their entertainment and media practice and was admitted to the partnership.

In 2000, he accepted a position with SoftBank Group Corporation, a technology, media, and telecommunications company with global private equity and venture capital investments and operations. He was a partner in SoftBank’s venture capital arm, SoftBank Capital, and served as SoftBank’s chief tax and administrative officer until January 2006, when he joined KPMG.

In 2015, Castellanos was elected by his partners to serve a five-year term as a member of KPMG’s Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association, the National Association of Corporate Directors and the American Institute of CPAs.

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