Greetings all.
My name is Ruben Castillo and live in Houston, Texas. I currently hold the title of Director of EEO and Employee Relations at the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) where I oversee the EEO reporting to different governmental agencies, the investigation of Title VII and other policy violations, and the ADA compliance function focused on our riders.
My HR careers spans over 16 years in various roles and industries. I’ve held positions such as Recruiter, HR Generalist, HR Manager, Complex HR Manager, Employee Relations Specialist, EEO Specialist, Employee Relations Manager, and Director of EEO/Employee Relations. My professional career started in the hospitality industry working for various hotel brands to include Hilton, Westin, Sheraton and Four Seasons. After exiting the hospitality industry, I joined METRO as an EEO/ER Specialist before leaving to work at a world renowned pediatric hospital in Houston. After several years leading the Employee Relations team at the hospital, I returned to METRO in the same department as Director of EEO/Employee Relations.
Throughout my career, I’ve made self-development a priority and invested in my own education within the field of HR. Up until 2012, I only held a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Houston, Conrad N. Hilton School of Hotel and Restaurant Management. In 2012, I enrolled at Villanova University and obtained my Master of Science in Human Resources Development in 2014. My learning did not end there as I continued my development ensuring my PHR certification stayed current. To further my education and development, I decided to enroll at Tulane University’s School of Law in 2022 to obtain a Master of Jurisprudence in Labor and Employment Law.
Over the course of my career, most of the experience I have gathered has focused on Employee Relations. In order to progress in my career, I figured it would be necessary to be versed on the legal side of HR. Over the last 8 years, I’ve gained a bigger appreciation of our in-house and external legal counsel for the help they provide on employment and labor law issues. It is that appreciation that led me to explore the possibility of returning to school to obtain a post-graduate degree in labor and employment law from a reputable institution. After doing extensive research and speaking to several colleagues, a decided that Tulane University was the best option for me due to its curriculum, rich history and location.
I’m happy to report that it has not disappointed.
Follow me at: linktr.ee/rcastillo01
Biography © 2023 by Ruben Castillo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0