The trustees of the Foundation have purposively kept the cost of administration below averages for foundations nationally. To this end, the office includes only one full-time staff person and one part-time office manager. The Bank of Hawaii’s Charitable Trust Division manages the fiscal affairs of the Foundation through an annually reviewed contract.

Al Castle serves as Executive Director and Treasurer. He also serves as trustee of the Pettus Foundation in Saint Louis, Missouri, and a trustee of the Colorado-based Trimble Charitable Trust.
Educated at Punahou School, Colorado State University (BA, Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude, M.A.), the University of New Mexico, the University of Virginia, Episcopal Divinity School (Cambridge) and Columbia University. Al is a diplomatic historian who has also written widely in such fields as philosophy, literature, history and foundation management. He is the author of two books, one edited book, co-author of a college philosophy textbook, and over 60 book reviews, newspaper feature articles, scholarly journal articles, pamphlets and encyclopedia essays for Charles Scribner and Greenwood Press. His scholarly interests include researching the beginnings of Hawaii’s kindergarten movement and the Castle family’s national history. Alfred’s post-graduate research was advised by Dr. Ferenc Szasz (University of New Mexico), Dr. Robert Ferrell (Indiana University), Dr. James Shenton (Columbia University), Professor Martha Scott Trimble (Colorado State University). His research and writing was influenced  Dr. George Nash (Harvard University, now Independent Scholar), Dr. Julian N. Hartt (University of Virginia), Dr. Bernard Rollin (Colorado State University), and Dr. Hamlin Hill (University of New Mexico).

Al is the recipient of numerous grants from such organizations as the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Hawaii Humanities Council, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, US Military Academy, West Point, the New Mexico Council for the Humanities, the Liberty Fund of Indianapolis, the Hoover Presidential Library Association and the Episcopal Divinity School (Cambridge). His scholarship and public service have been recognized by Marquis’ Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the West and Who’s Who in the World. He is a recipient of the Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from Chaminade University in 2013.In 1997, he was named alumnus of the year in the College of Liberal Arts by Colorado State University. From 1968 until 1972, he was a Robinson-McWayne Scholar at Colorado State University.

In 2012, Al Castle was appointed by Governor Neil Abercrombie to represent the business and philanthropy sector on the State of Hawaii Early Learning Board and was confirmed for a second term on that body by the state senate in 2014. As a tireless advocate for high quality universal pre-k, he served for 7 years on the executive committee of the National Early Education Funders Collaborative in Washington, D.C., and was a philanthropic advisor to the White House Early Education Policy Team under President Obama.

Al has long been a link between Hawaii and several mainland foundations such as California’s William G. Irwin Foundation, the Hearst Foundation, and the Kellogg Foundation. He is a trustee of the Saint Louis, Missouri-based Pettus Foundation and the Martha Scott Trimble Charitable Trust in Ft. Collins, Colorado.

A founder of the Weinberg Fellows program in 1991, he is also a founder of the Castle Colleagues program for site directors of early childhood centers. He has taught history and philosophy, as well as non-profit management, at such universities as the University of New Mexico, the University of San Francisco, California State University, San Marcos, Colorado State University and New Mexico Military Institute. Al served as National Chair of the Council on Foundation’s Family Foundations Conference in 2006. With Kamehameha Schools CEO Dee Jay Mailer, Al Castle co-chaired the 2013-2014 Hawaii Constitutional Amendment Campaign. He has served as Executive Director of the Foundation since 1997. He has been a volunteer trustee since 1987.

For a list of Mr. Castle’s published work, click here.

Oleg Solodar has served as the part-time office manager of the Foundation since 2001.