In 2023, Debbie Castaldo will celebrate her 15th season with the Arizona Diamondbacks as Sr. Vice President, Corporate & Community Impact, and Executive Director of the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation. In this role, she oversees the organization’s award-winning community efforts and industry-leading fundraising efforts. In 2023, the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and D-backs will celebrate $80 million in charitable contributions to non-profit organizations throughout Arizona.
The D-backs Give Back efforts include the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation alongside team ownership, players, employees, corporate partners and fans. With support from President, CEO and General Partner Derrick Hall and Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick, the Arizona Diamondbacks charitable efforts have risen to prominence within Major League Baseball – most recently ranking in the top three for both fundraising and contributions to the community. Paving the way with industry-leading programs including the D-backs Give Back 50/50 Charity Raffle, D-backs Give Back Youth Jersey Program and Evening on the Diamond, the D-backs have solidified their role as one of professional sports most charitable organizations.
During her tenure, community involvement with Corporate Partners has grown to include integrated philanthropic programs with APS, Arizona Complete Health, Avnet, Bally Sports Arizona, Budweiser, Chase, Crescent Crown Distributing, Dignity Health, Honeywell, Nike, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Super Star Carwash, University of Phoenix, Fry’s Food Stores among others. Branded charitable program implementation is a model of creative collaboration, maximizing the efforts of outstanding community partners.
Castaldo worked with Hall to launch the Derrick Hall Pro-State Foundation. Additionally, she worked alongside Luis Gonzalez to develop Gonzo’s Hometown Heroes. The D-backs’ organization has charitable programs and initiatives that begin at the Minor League level to prepare players for the charitable opportunities and efforts of the franchise.
The D-backs’ commitment to the community is demonstrated in unique programs, created by Castaldo and her team, including the D-backs Youth Jersey Program. The charitable program provides jerseys and caps to youth baseball and softball leagues across the state. In 2023, with support from Fry’s, Tide and Phoenix Children’s Hospital, the D-backs Youth Jersey Program will expand to include 123 leagues and 65,000 players and coaches from across Arizona. Last season, the “Diamonds Back” Field Building Program, in partnership with APS, dedicated its 44th youth baseball field, Tom Harris Field, in Winslow.
Education is a top priority for Castaldo and the D-backs, including the D-backs School Challenge presented by University of Phoenix. To date, the Foundation has awarded $1.1 million to nearly 200 winning schools from across Arizona. The D-backs Science of Baseball presented by Chase and Insight is a comprehensive STEM initiative that uses baseball as the platform to teach science, technology, engineering and math. D-backs Most Valuable Teachers program celebrates the efforts of outstanding teachers from across Arizona. Each year 50 MVT’s are honored at Chase Field with a $1,000 grant and pizza party with one receiving recognition as the Most Valuable Teacher of the Year.
Evening on the Diamond, presented by Crescent Crown Distributing, is the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation’s signature fundraiser - ranking as one of the largest fundraising events in the Valley according to the Phoenix Business Journal. The unique celebrity event is credited with raising millions each year to fund important projects and programs in the community, including the Ken Kendrick Grand Slam Awards. Through the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation, Castaldo and her team have awarded 100 Ken Kendrick Grand Slam Awards totaling over $8 million to local charities. Ken Kendrick Grand Slam Awards are typically $100,000 grants for important community programs and in 2019 the recipients included Assistance League of Phoenix, Flagstaff Shelter Services, Foundation for Blind Children, GiGi’s Playhouse Phoenix, Homeward Bound, Matthew’s Crossing, Native American Connections, Neighborhood Ministries and Valley of the Sun YMCA. In 2016, the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation renamed the Grand Slam Awards to celebrate the philanthropic leadership of D-backs Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick.
In 2022, the 12th Annual D-backs Celebrity Golf Classic raised critical funds for veterans programs in Arizona. To date, over $1.5 million has been donated to local projects and programs that support housing, social services, employment and scholarships for active-duty military, veterans and their families. The tenth annual D-backs Race Against Cancer, supported by Dignity Health, will add to an already impressive list of fundraisers powered by D-backs fans. Additionally, the D-backs Give Back 50/50 Raffle, supported by Avnet Cares, provides funds to support youth sports programs and outreach across the state.
In 2020, the Arizona Diamondbacks received the Mac McClure Legacy Award for philanthropy from Vitalant. In 2019, the Arizona Diamondbacks received the Outstanding Corporate Foundation award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Additionally, the America Red Cross honored the D-backs with the Community Hero Award. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Arizona honored the D-backs in 2018 for their support of Boys and Girls Clubs and the youth of Arizona. Other recent honors include the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Corporation of the Year (2017), AAAED’s Champion of Diversity (2017), the Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy (2016), One Community Spotlight on Success (2015), Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Chris Greicius Award (2014), the Phoenix Indian Center’s Leon Grant Spirit of the Community Award (2014), Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce IMPACT Award. The D-backs also received a prestigious service award from the United Phoenix Firefighters for their efforts during the fire tragedy that claimed the lives of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots.
Castaldo, a tenured marketing, community relations and corporate partnerships executive, joined the D-backs prior to the 2009 season after four years at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. As Director of Philanthropic Innovation at St. Joseph’s, she was responsible for strategic corporate and community partnerships, e-commerce and innovation strategies for the foundations supporting Arizona’s largest hospital. Prior to joining St. Joseph’s, Castaldo was the Director of Strategic Partnerships for Westcor Shopping Centers. She began her career in Arizona with Alltel. As General Manager, Marketing at Alltel, her responsibilities included marketing, advertising, public relations, community affairs, sports marketing and product development.
Castaldo earned a degree in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1992. She is active in the community and has served on numerous boards and committees. She has served an Honorary Commander for the 56th Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base. In 2019, she was honored by In Business magazine as one of its “Women of Achievement,” just a year after receiving the Positively Powerful Woman Award for Corporate Leadership. She has also received the Heart of the House Award for her impact on Ronald McDonald House Charities in 2011 and was named the 2008 YWCA’s Woman of Distinction for her philanthropy work in the community.
Castaldo and her husband, Vince, live in Glendale with sons, Jake and Zack.