Long-term partner appointed New York Cultural Affairs Commissioner

For over 15 years, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation has proudly supported Gonzalo Casals, the newly appointed New York Cultural Affairs Commissioner. His visionary leadership has facilitated programming that amplifies underserved voices and cultural equity throughout NYC communities.

The Foundation supports the Leslie-Lohman Museum, the world’s only cultural institution dedicated to LGBTQ art, and is a founding funder of their EMBRACE educational program for low-income LGBTQ NYC public students, teachers and allies.

Gonzalo, as Executive Director, partnered with Deutsche Bank and dbPride to commission a mobile art installation at the NYC Pride March. Enthusiastic employees volunteered to march with banners featuring Queer Icons: this series of portraits, by Gabriel Garcia Roman, highlighted queer and transgender persons of color who are underrepresented within the LGBTQ rights movement.

At the High Line, where Gonzalo steered the organization towards more equitable cultural practices, the Foundation supported innovative, hands-on educational programming that transformed the High Line into a living classroom—and expanded access for diverse communities.

In 2005, the Foundation initiated supported for El Museo in East Harlem, a neighborhood defined by its strong immigrant population. During Gonzalos’ tenure, multiple Foundation grants strengthened bilingual education programs for underserved immigrants and Latinx families.

Gonzalo has also been an engaged and valued member of Deutsche Bank’s CSR Leadership Incubator, which equips emerging nonprofit leaders and Deutsche Bank employees to strengthen organizations at the enterprise level. The Incubator offers a variety of trainings that reflect many years of advising employees and nonprofit partners and observing recurring themes in the leadership challenges they express.

“Brilliant choice to appoint Gonzalo Casals as the NYC Commissioner of Department of Cultural Affairs. We have always supported your groundbreaking work as you have spearheaded new programs amplifying all voices in our community,” said Alessandra DiGiusto, Head of CSR Americas and Executive Director of Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation.

Click here for The New York Times