PPIA Alumni Profiles: Celebrating 40 Changemakers

To honor our 40 years, we're celebrating our most valuable resource - our alumni - through 40 profiles highlighting their leadership. Our next Changemaker is Alumna Stacie Olivares-Castain! She completed the fellowship at the University of Washington in 1996.

Stacie Olivares-Castain

Protecting and improving the lives of those underserved Stacie Olivares-Castain embodies the values of vision, integrity, and care. She is passionate about creating an inclusive and prosperous society and has used her expertise to do just that. Having earned a BA in Economics and Social Welfare from the University of California and a Master’s of Public Policy in Business and Government from Harvard University, she began her journey of leadership at Palm, Inc. Here she not only led 4 of their 5 global markets with a cap of 40 billion dollars but initiated and secured licensing that increased their annual revenue. Stacie went on to lead the State of California economic advisory board. Through her concentrated efforts, the state not only introduced 600 high paying jobs and 300 mixed income housing units, but established 10 trade offices in four continents. Her experience with portfolio management and strategy grew while working at Morgan Stanley which earned her an invitation from the U.S. Treasury Dept to join with other Latino Financiers at an Emerging Domestic Market Roundtable.

“To ensure cultural competency and proven success in the nuanced and dynamic Latinx market, we need Latina leadership in the C-suite and boardrooms of all industries."

As a member on numerous boards, she contributed to the emergence of clean technology and the creation of millions of jobs. As a board member for the Hispanic Heritage Foundation which was established by the White House to identify and prepare Latino leaders for service in all areas, she not only helped lay a solid financial foundation, but initiated a national program for youth to empower them with the understanding of “Code as a Second Language”. Beyond her membership on boards, Stacie has been the Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director at COIN where she increased investments which led to thousands of new jobs and affordable housing units. She also provided support to insurance agencies on blockchain technology and assisted and guided the passage of numerous bills. As the Chief Officer at Lendistry, a minority and women led institution which ranks second in the nation for providing loans to small business owners in underserved communities, she created structures that allowed diverse small businesses to succeed. Lastly and most recently, she has become a Member on the Board of Administration for CalPERS (California Public Employee Retirement System). It is the largest U.S. public pension with nearly 2 million members and 450B in global assets. She will be developing ways to measure social impact while protecting and repositioning investments to bring forth the most equitable experience possible.

Stacie has a powerful track record of making the most of resources and distributing them in ways that meet the needs of all people. Her precision and expertise is generously directed toward the greater good and fluidly unites the best aspects of finance with the best aspects of humanity. Thank you, Stacie, for tending equally to the resources within communities and the resources within the economy. You are truly laying foundations for success in communities often overlooked. The underserved are uplifted as a direct result of your commitment and courage to make right decisions. With your vision and integrity, potential is being actualized and freedom is being experienced. As your responsibilities grow and your success expands, you gift that success forward on behalf of positive social good. Such is the quality of a true leader!

Check Out More Alumni Stories on PPIA's New Website HERE!

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌