Anselmo Villarreal is the President and CEO of La Casa de Esperanza, a community-based organization dedicated to serving the low-income and Latino population of Waukesha, Wisconsin since 1966. He has 24 years of experience in non-profit management and under Mr. Villarreal’s leadership, La Casa has expanded its programs and services to respond to the changing needs of the communities served.
His accomplishments during his tenure as President and CEO of La Casa include effective strategic planning to ensure efficient service delivery across the organization, expanding of community collaborations and successfully leading two capital campaigns for a new community center and building renovations totaling $4.8 million. His service to the Waukesha community has been recognized by the Waukesha County NAACP and Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) where he received the Community Service Award and Citizen Service Award, respectively.
Dedicated to advancing the well-being of Latinos and building stronger communities, Mr. Villarreal is a member of several local and national organizations including: the Board of Directors of the National Council of La Raza, the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States and the Alliance for Children and Families, an international organization representing 310 human services in the United States and Canada. Additionally, he serves on the Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington Workforce Development Board and as the Wisconsin Representative of the Advisory Council of the Institute of Mexicans Abroad. He has also served on the Waukesha Area Chamber of Commerce, Mexican and American Solidarity Foundation, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago Advisory Board, National Rural Housing Action Coalition, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, American Lung Association, and the Consumer Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board.
Mr. Villarreal began his career in the federal government of México, the country of his birth and of his college education. After graduating from the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico, Mr. Villarreal came to the United States to advance his career by earning a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in 1986. Today, Mr. Villarreal’s commitment to family begins at home where he resides with his wife of 23 years, Elvira, his 19-year-old son, Roberto and his 13-year old son, Daniel. This year, Mr. Villarreal has also begun to pursue a Doctorate in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service at Cardinal Stritch University.