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�԰����� has named Luisa Casso its inaugural chief of staff, an executive position in the Office of the President. She steps into her new job on Thursday, August 17.

“I am thrilled Luisa has chosen to join �԰�����’s leadership team,” said �԰����� President Vanessa B. Beasley, Ph.D. “A community leader with a proven track record and commitment to the region, Luisa will ensure alignment and collaboration across �԰����� as we create and execute the University’s next strategic plan.”

Casso brings more than 20 years of public affairs experience in the private, public, civic, and nonprofit arenas. She is currently the corporate communications manager for Toyota Motor North America, Inc., overseeing community and media engagement and philanthropic giving for the San Antonio community. Casso is also an executive board member for the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where she was instrumental in forming their Latina Leadership Institute (LLI), which was created to promote Latinas to become civically engaged. She currently serves as the chairwoman of SA Digital Connects, a public-private collaboration whose mission is to close the digital divide in San Antonio and Bexar County.

As chief of staff, Casso will be a member of the Executive Leadership Team, where she will help manage internal collaboration as well as relationships with external partners, monitor the execution of the University’s strategic plan, and supervise staff in the President’s Office.��

And Casso steps into this position with a strong record of successful executive leadership experience. Throughout her career, she has served as the chief communications officer for the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the president/ CEO of the Albuquerque Downtown Action Team, where she oversaw the implementation and management of a $1 million annual budget, 85-square-block Business Improvement District in downtown Albuquerque. She’s also served as the vice president of economic development at Suncal New Mexico, the director of public affairs and communications for The Coca-Cola Company, and the co-chair of the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Bond Committee, where she was successful in allocating $114 million for capital improvements across the city.

“�԰����� is at a pivotal time where we’re empowering students to focus on the journey and the destination,” Casso says. “I am thrilled to bring my corporate experience and my love for San Antonio to Dr. Beasley’s Executive Leadership Team to impact the lives of our students and community.”������

Casso received her bachelor’s degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles. She studied Middle Eastern politics, Egyptian history, and Arabic at Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt, and Mexican politics, history, literature, and Spanish at the Centro Bilingue in Cuernavaca, Mexico. She received a Leadership Institute Governance Certificate from the Alvarez College of Business at the University of Texas at San Antonio. ��

“My liberal arts education fueled my desire to live in a multicultural community and embrace diverse thinking by taking an active role in shaping the world around me,” Casso says. “As I join Dr. Beasley’s leadership team, I feel empowered to use my journey as inspiration to connect with our students and work collaboratively with my new colleagues to shape the lives and minds of future global change-makers.”

In other news from the President’s Office, Claire Smith, who has served four �԰����� presidents as executive assistant to the president and assistant secretary to the Board of Trustees, will now focus her expertise on supporting the Board of Trustees. In this capacity, she will continue to assist the executive leadership of the Board, work with the president to plan and manage Board and Committee meetings, and maintain the official records of the Board’s proceedings and actions.��

Shawne Stewart-Zakaria is now the senior director for University Events and Protocol for the Office of the President. She has been in Alumni Relations and Development (AR&D) as director for Special Events since 2018. In her new role, Stewart-Zakaria will provide the vision and planning for major campus-wide events, including all commencement exercises. She will also offer collaborative consultation to AR&D and other campus departments as they plan and execute special events, including alumni and stewardship events.