Field Foundation Board of Directors Elects Joe Aguilar as Chair
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2024
CONTACT:
Maria McCandless
Communications Lead
Field Foundation of Illinois
(312) 560-0004
mmccandless@fieldfoundation.org
FIELD FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTS JOE AGUILAR AS CHAIR
Aguilar, Chief Investment Officer for the Office of the Illinois State Treasurer, Succeeds Gloria Castillo, who Becomes Vice Chair. Field President Daniel O. Ash also Joins the Board of Directors.
CHICAGO – The Field Foundation Board of Directors today announced it has elected board member Joe Aguilar as its chair. Aguilar succeeds Gloria Castillo, who had chaired the board since September 2018 and now serves as vice chair. Field President Daniel O. Ash has also joined the board.
Aguilar is the chief investment officer for the Office of Illinois State Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs. In this role, he directs seven investment portfolios spanning public and private market investments on behalf of the Illinois Treasury’s combined $56 billion investment portfolio.
“It has been an honor to serve on the Field Foundation’s Board of Directors,” Aguilar said. “By investing with a racial and social equity lens across its key portfolios of Art, Journalism & Storytelling, Justice, and Leadership Investment, the foundation and its strategic partners make an important difference to communities in need. As the board’s chair, I am ready to get to work while the foundation focuses on delivering even greater impact in the future.”
Aguilar joined Field’s board in May 2022. In addition to serving as chair, he will continue to chair the board’s investment committee.
“Joe has been a fantastic partner and is an excellent choice to lead the Field Foundation Board of Directors. I look forward to working closely with him and our entire board as Field continues to evolve as a funder of community power with purpose, serving communities and residents in Chicago and statewide,” Ash said. “At the same time, I speak on behalf of the board in thanking Gloria for her exceptional leadership and many contributions during her tenure as chair. We will continue to benefit from her wise counsel in her new role as vice chair.”
“I am delighted to see Joe become our board’s chair,” Castillo said. “Joe has been an exemplary member of our board, bringing valuable experience and insights. I am confident he is the right leader to guide our board and advise the foundation from both fiduciary and strategic perspectives.”
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About the Field Foundation
The Field Foundation is a private and independent foundation that, along with its strategic partners, distributes more than $6.5 million in grants to organizations working to address systemic issues in Chicago’s most divested communities. With racial and social equity at the center of its giving, the Field Foundation directs dollars to grantmaking in the areas of Art, Journalism & Storytelling, Justice, and Leadership Investment. Learn more at www.fieldfoundation.org.