CalSTRS Executive Dies At Age 45 After Bicycle Accident

  • David Castillo was co-director of global equity For CalSTRS
  • Worked at CalSTRS for nine year, including private equity unit
  • Castillo praised as talented, inspirational leader

Castillo was hurt on June 29 while riding his bicycle in El Dorado Hills, Calif. He regularly rode his bike 30 miles from his home in Folsom to work, CalSTRS said.

“David was a talented and inspirational leader at CalSTRS,” Chief Investment Officer Christopher Ailman said in a prepared statement. He took up the position of co-director of the $91 billion global equity portfolio in December of last year.

He started at CalSTRS as an investment officer in November 2004, in the pension fund’s credit enhancement office and then worked in its private equity unit before moving over to the global equity portfolio in 2006.

CalSTRS reported a 19.2 percent gain in its global equity portfolio in fiscal 2012-2013.

“David’s love for investment management was evident with his decision to take a significant pay cut when, as a young attorney, he decided to make the jump to CalSTRS,” Ailman said.

Castillo earned a bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo in 1991 and his law degree from Boalt Hall at UC Berkeley in 1996. He passed the California Bar in 1996.

He is survived by his wife Amy, two children, aged 11 and 8, and his brother, Dan.

“David had the passion and zeal for the job that made him unique,” Ailman said. “He had a highly competitive spirit but also loved working as part of a team while at CalSTRS.”