Claudia Castillo
Claudia Castillo, she/her, is the Language Access Program Manager for the City of Denver and works in the Denver Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (DOIRA). Prior to joining the City of Denver in December 2020, Claudia worked as an asylum paralegal and as a Legal Assistance Coordinator for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. After serving ~20 years in the Army in Korea, Germany, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Kuwait, and Honduras, Claudia retired in 2016 and pursued her Master’s degree in international human rights at the University of Denver, where she graduated in 2018. It was at DU where Claudia rediscovered her passion for advocating on behalf of immigrant populations and comprehensive immigration reform, including on language access-related issues. Claudia understands first-hand how language access affects immigrant communities, as she was her parent’s own translator and interpreter from the age of six. Claudia prioritizes the ability of Denver’s immigrant and refugee residents to receive language access services and knows how life changing receiving critical information in one’s preferred language can be. She strives to bring this kind of change to Denver and all residents regardless of English proficiency.