A. Mario Castillo
Senior Managing Director
Mario founded Aegis after having served as chief of staff of the Committee on Agriculture of the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly a decade, where he managed a staff of 70 and multi-million dollar budgets. Mario's experiences while serving the Committee have contributed to Aegis' ability to protect, and/or augment, clients' national and global commercial holdings in various industries such as pharmaceuticals, food commodities, retail, travel and tourism.
During his Congressional service, he also served as Staff Co-Director of annual U.S./Mexico Inter-Parliamentary Conferences. Mario participated in negotiations and helped author decrees regarding bilateral political, economic, and social issues (i.e., migration, drug trafficking, environment, and energy) for endorsement by the Mexican and U.S. conference leadership and eventual approval by the U.S. Congress and the White House.
No stranger to complex negotiations, Mario successfully negotiated and established the first intercollegiate agreement between a Czech Republic university and a prominent American university, Texas A&M University. Under the auspices of President Havel, Mario successfully negotiated commercial ventures between American and Czech interests in diverse commercial arenas.
Castillo is a bipartisan lobbyist with an acute ability to design and deploy strategic political and media strategies with government and business representatives. He has been described by a client as the "patron saint of desperate business cases" and a newspaper article reported that he is an individual with "steel resolve . . . tempered with charm."
A few of the client projects undertaken by the Aegis team include preserving a commercial base of duty-free stores along the U.S./Canadian border with a value in excess of $110 million. In another situation with Mario at the helm, Aegis amended an international trade agreement to increase clients' (US/Australian food consortium) market position valued at more than $10 million.
Additionally, he led (on behalf of the State of Texas) negotiations and administered the capital structuring of a $28 million long-term loan to revitalize and modernize a major seaport in Texas. He guided due diligence on loan applications concerning investment structure, development, planning, construction and applicant payback capabilities.
Mario is masterful at directing winning lobbying coalitions with global corporate interests (e.g., Europe, Canada, Australia and within the U.S.) of divergent views to influence legislation and regulations that protect or enhance clients' investments and political agendas
He has served as a Commissioner of the Arts and Humanities for the District of Columbia. Through the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, he developed the Larry Neal/Pen Faulkner Writers Conference for the eastern seaboard, a landmark effort to bring together writers of all races in a working environment. He has served as Chairman of the Friends Council of The National Museum of Women in the Arts of Washington, D.C. And currently, he is a member of the board of directors of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts in San Angelo, Texas.
As a leading-edge educator in Texas, Mario was the recipient of the Ford Foundation's "Washington Internships in Education." During the award year, he was the lone Texan to receive the prestigious Ford award. He was named by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus as one of the top 25 Hispanic leaders in the United States. And, served as a Congressional delegate to The Ditchley Foundation’s conference in Oxford, England, on International Problems of Supply and Demand in Agriculture.
Mario was appointed in 2004 by Texas Governor Rick Perry to serve as a board member for the Texas Small Business Industrial Development Corporation (TSBIDC), which was created by the Texas Legislature to provide low cost, long-term financing for Texas corporations and to support infrastructure financing (including job training) to Texas communities. TSBIDC has a multi-million dollar ($80 million+) lending portfolio. In January 2007, Governor Perry named Mario as Chairman and President of the Corporation. Mario served in that capacity until August, 2015.
In December 2007, Governor Perry appointed Mario to the Texas Historical Commission (THC), a 17 member board, for a term of six-years. The THC is the state agency for historic preservation. As a THC Commissioner, Mario and the other Commissioners consult with, and provide guidance, to citizens and organizations in order to preserve Texas' architectural, archeological and cultural landmarks. The agency is recognized nationally for its preservation programs.
As a result of his many professional accomplishments and his philanthropic endeavors, Angelo State University, located in San Angelo, Texas, awarded Mario its Distinguished Alumnus Award. Additionally, Mario was a commencement speaker for the Texas Tech University System at Angelo State University.
The Cosmos Club, a private Washington, D.C. social club, was founded in 1878 by John Wesley Powell for individuals distinguished in science, literature, the arts, learned professions, or public service, recently welcomed Mario Castillo as a member of the organization in recognition of his distinguished professional career in public service and international affairs. Contributions that advance the individual’s profession and improve the nature and well-being of society are important factors in determining eligibility for Cosmos Club membership in this category. Testimonials from recognized experts and practitioners are essential for the admission of a candidate as distinguished. An individual is not distinguished solely by virtue of rank, election, appointment or celebrity. Thus, inductees undergo rigorous vetting before being considered for membership. They must demonstrate distinction in their prospective artistic, scientific, literary, public service, or professional career; a further testament to Mario’s expertise as an advocate for Aegis’ diverse clientele.