Newport Beach Foundation: Scholarships, Distinguished Citizens Program & Community Impact
In this episode of Duffy Chats, we sit down with Antonella Castro, Founding Member and Chairwoman of the Board of the Newport Beach Foundation.
Antonella shares how the Foundation was established, the gap it was created to fill in Newport Beach, and how its key programs—including the Newport Beach Scholarship and Distinguished Citizens Program—are shaping future leaders and strengthening the community.
We also discuss how residents can get involved, what makes a strong candidate for the Distinguished Citizens Program, and the impact of local philanthropy.
Learn more about the Newport Beach Foundation and apply for upcoming programs here: https://www.newportbeachfoundation.org/
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Welcome aboard Duffy Chats. Today we're excited to sit down with Antella Castro. She's the chairwoman of the Newport Beach Foundation. Antella, welcome. We're so happy to have you here.
We're delighted to have you join us today. So, Antella, we’d love to get to know you a little bit better. Did you grow up here in Newport? And if not, what brought you here?
Antella Castro: I did not grow up in Newport, although I have been here longer than my hometown. I’m originally from Las Vegas, Nevada. Yeah — Battle Born. And I came to attend UC Irvine to play tennis. So that’s what brought me here. And then I didn’t leave.
You built your career in law. How has that path influenced your involvement with philanthropy?
Antella Castro: Well, if you’ll take a little detour with me — I grew up service-oriented with my mom in Vegas. We did not have a lot of money, but we were always raised that if you have something more than someone else, then you have an obligation to improve and make an impact. So we were always doing philanthropy growing up.
When I came to Orange County and then became an attorney, I started with the big firm Paul Hastings. As you know, lawyers grind away, especially new associates. But the firm shared my values, and they were committed to pro bono work and several local nonprofits, including Orange County United Way.
Through getting involved with my firm’s relationship with United Way, that then led me to join the board of United Way. I sat on the board of Canyon Acres, which is now Seneca Family of Agencies, also the American Heart Association. So the list goes on.
And from being involved with United Way, I was then nominated for an OC Metro 40 Under 40 award. I had just had my first child like two weeks before, and I met Joe Stapleton. He was also being recognized at the same event. We connected after the event, maybe a couple weeks later, and he said, “Hey, do you want to come on the board of Elite OC?” And then that spurred our relationship of local leadership.
Then when it was presented to get involved with the Newport Beach Foundation and start that journey, I jumped on board. So that’s kind of the backstory — the evolution of that work, and how it all came together.
For those who don’t know, can you tell us a little bit about the Newport Beach Foundation — how it got started and when?
Antella Castro: Yes, sure. So in 2013, Maryann Bergeson — whom hopefully most of you are familiar with — she was a state assemblywoman, a state senator, she ran the Department of Education, and she was an Orange County supervisor. Really an amazingly dynamic woman.
She, Linda Vineford, Dave and Debbie Snavely, Gary Sherwin, Denny O’Neil, who was a former mayor of Newport Beach, and Homer Bludau, who was our former city manager, got together and wanted to create a class that would inform our residents. So that was in 2013. They had one class.
Homer Bludau actually is the godfather of the Distinguished Citizens Program. He created the original curriculum. In that first class was Diane Dixon, Robin Grant, Joe Stapleton, among others. And then it kind of went dormant.
Fast forward to 2017. Gary and Homer reached out to Joe and said, “Look, we think we should try and resurrect this — like a 2.0 version.” Then Joe reached out, and I thought, “Sure, why not?” If I think I can add value to something and I can see how strategically we can make it work and make an impact, I’m all for it. I’m not into just putting something on your résumé and going to lunch and wasting time. I don’t have time for that.
That can be a little bit of a curse, right? It makes you crazy. And then my husband says, “When are you going to get paid for all this stuff?” And I’m like, “Never. We just keep paying.”
So we got together — actually in a boardroom at the bottom of the Marriott, which is now VEA — in March 2017. We whiteboarded what this was going to look like, whether people would sign up for a class, what we wanted to be.
And we really wanted to focus on igniting that next generation of leadership, which I think was the original intention. They were local leaders, but they were getting older, and there wasn’t anybody to backfill. There was not a pipeline. There wasn’t a path reaching out to young families or residents who didn’t already have their foot in the door.
So we took that over. I can say now we are approaching our 14th class in May. So approximately over 300 graduates. And many of them are now serving in our city.
Was it originally called the Newport Beach Foundation, or was it just the Distinguished Citizens class?
Antella Castro: They had formally made it the Newport Beach Foundation and then it kind of went away. So this was our 2.0. We never really dreamed it would be this successful and take on scholarships and programming and have the impact it’s had — really create a pipeline for local leadership.
When you went to those first meetings, what connected with you enough to want to add another thing to your plate?
Antella Castro: Well, I love this community. Being a transplant, I recognize how special Newport Beach is. We’re raising a family here. We have a business here. We want to share the passion that we have for this community and its residents with others — and protect it, so to speak.
I know that sounds maybe a little hokey, but I mean protecting the quality, making sure it continues, and making sure you’re tapping into all the talent that’s here. There are so many people with varying backgrounds and viewpoints and experiences, and you need all of that to create a vibrant democracy and city.
An informed citizenry is really your number one protection against tyranny. Thomas Jefferson said that, and I believe it. Give people access, give them opportunity to engage, and then see what happens.
It gives each individual a little bit of ownership in the city. They don’t want to sit back and complain — they want to try to make an impact. And nobody’s always right. That’s why you need different perspectives to inform the ideas.
I like a challenge. I like coming up with solutions. And I love our community.
What gaps do you feel like the Distinguished Citizens Program is solving in the community?
Antella Castro: I think we didn’t have a pipeline, or it wasn’t accessible, to get involved in civics or understand how the city runs or meet the police chief or the city manager. That can feel intimidating if you’re not already involved.
So I think we broke down that barrier and created relationships and gave people access to how the city is run. Then they can have ideas, they are informed, they can tell their neighbors.
A lot of times when you don’t have information, you have fear or assumptions — and often they’re wrong. That leads to misinformation, poor decisions, or hard-to-break perspectives. That’s not good for our city.
We want to pull back the curtain. If you have a permitting question, want to start a business, want to understand utilities or emergency systems — now you know the people, and they know you. You’ve come through, you’ve shown that you care, so they want to help you.
For example, after the LA fires, residents were asking us about areas that didn’t seem to have water where they thought they should. I went to Mayor Stapleton and we were able to put accurate information out there, because people thought one thing, but the reality was different.
We actually take our graduates on behind-the-scenes activities. We’ve walked the reservoir with Mark Vukobratovich, who heads utilities, and people are amazed because they don’t see the water, so they think there isn’t any.
So yes — education, access, and context.
Can you share how someone applies for the Distinguished Citizens Program and what a good applicant looks like?
Antella Castro: Yes. The applications for our May program are live on our website, newportbeachfoundation.org, or you can reach out to us on social media via DM and we’ll get you the application.
A person needs to work or live in the city of Newport Beach. It’s helpful if you know a member of the board or a graduate of our program — that shows you’re familiar with us and you’ve taken time to either attend an event or ask for information. But you do not have to know somebody. I want to be very clear about that.
We like it when people say, “We are new here. We came across your website,” or “We read about you in a local paper.” I appreciate that because it shows initiative and that they’re willing to put themselves out there to learn more about the city and get involved.
We are in no way a political organization. We are nonpartisan. We do not check your voter registration. We do not ask if you want to serve as an elected official. It’s really meant to engage, ignite, and inform our residents and business professionals in the city.
Applications close March 31st. That gives us time to meet as a committee, review applications, and correspond with those selected. We don’t have a formal waitlist, but if someone’s schedule changes and they can no longer commit to five Wednesdays in a row, we slot someone else in.
The program runs five Wednesday evenings, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. We have all the department heads in the city come and speak. We also have local business leaders share their experiences and why public-private partnership matters.
When someone goes through the program, what happens after that?
Antella Castro: You become an alum, and we create a lot of behind-the-scenes opportunities for alumni — access to venues and events in the city.
We’ve been really blessed that our graduates have taken their passion for service and Newport Beach and gone on to serve. We have over 60 people who have graduated and then served on a foundation, committee, or commission. Some from our very first classes are now elected city council members, and they were not campaigning at the time.
We’ve also had several alumni go on to form their own foundations or professional organizations that grew out of relationships they made through the program. The Ben Carlson Foundation was incubated in that world. Brian Baw is another example — he came from Los Angeles, wanted to get involved, went through DCP, met Chief Boyles, and asked whether there was a fire department foundation. There wasn’t, and that became the start of that effort.
We also had a group of young professionals who met through DCP and launched Civitas Prima. So the legacy is real. It’s been incredible to watch what people do after they get energized and connected.
If they don’t go on to do something as big as launching a foundation, are there other ways they stay involved?
Antella Castro: Yes, definitely. We’ve had graduates approach us wanting things like affinity groups — one group recently wanted something focused on women and networking. It’s hard to build all of that formally into the class because the class itself is already so full of content, so we encourage those relationships to continue organically afterward.
But I had one alum come present to our board about what an affinity group under the Foundation might look like, and that makes sense. It’s how organizations grow. You need more volunteer leadership opportunities under the umbrella, where people are still aligned with the mission but able to execute on their own ideas and passions.
That’s what we want — people go through, get energized, get activated, and then go do something meaningful.
Can you highlight the scholarship program and who can apply?
Antella Castro: Yes. In addition to the Distinguished Citizens Program, the Newport Beach Foundation also has a scholarship for local high school seniors who attend Corona del Mar High School and Newport Harbor High School.
Students need to be seniors and have a 3.5 GPA or above, and really demonstrate leadership either at their school, in their community, through extracurriculars, and an interest in service and our city.
We just closed our application cycle and had 30 applicants. This will be our fifth scholarship cycle. Winners also get a spot in our May program, which is really unique.
And honestly, interviewing these students energizes me and gives me hope. Some of the things they want to do are incredible — they want to use art and computer science to help Alzheimer’s, help communities in Africa, and so much more.
It’s not a need-based scholarship. It’s really a prestige award and recognition for what these students have done and what we hope they’ll continue to do. And it builds connection. We want them to know they have a network here and that we want them to come back and share their talent with Newport Beach.
Beyond the Distinguished Citizens Program and scholarships, are there other ways the community can get involved?
Antella Castro: Yes. We’ve done a lot of different things over the years. We’ve done parent education events. We have our annual Summer Soirée at Lido House, and that highlights a local nonprofit. It’s both a fundraiser and an educational opportunity for that nonprofit.
That event is open to the community. We also do alumni events. We’re gearing up to do more speaker events as well, so if anybody wants to sponsor those, that would be wonderful. We have an incredible network of interesting and accomplished men and women in our community, and we want to tap into that.
Let’s talk about the Mayor’s Party. How did that come together?
Antella Castro: Winter break planning at my house.
It’s true. I was like, “Okay, now I’m going to baseball, but I’ll be back. And now I’m going to flag football, but I’ll be back.”
The board really stepped up and helped make it successful. Initially it was going to be an after-party. Traditionally, on the evening of the city council meeting in December, they appoint the next mayor. The mayor then goes to the mayor’s reception, which is different from the mayor’s dinner Speak Up Newport does.
Historically the Chamber hosted the reception, but they also do their own awards, so it was this combined thing. Then Visit Newport Beach came in thinking there might be a way to make it a Foundation beneficiary. It aligned with our mission of celebrating the community and leadership.
It morphed into one event instead of two, and then ultimately the Chamber decided not to do theirs. So it all came together as this Mayor’s Party.
It was really a celebration. It was important to city council that city staff didn’t have to pay to attend. It was totally underwritten, and we had so many new faces and businesses wanting to sponsor and be there. It wasn’t speech-heavy — people were having a great time — and I think that’s what it was about: celebrating Newport, our residents, and our leadership.
The thought now is that it could become an annual event. We’ll see, because every mayor is different and may want something a little different, but that’s the goal. And it was a huge boost for the Foundation and for future thinking.
What are some misconceptions about the Foundation?
Antella Castro: I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that the Newport Beach Foundation is somehow a politically motivated organization where we are handpicking people to be in leadership. That is not the case.
Like anywhere there’s change or disruption in the status quo, people want to blame something. But we have done so much good work bringing awareness and education to residents and igniting passions that already existed in these individuals so they can go on and serve.
We are a catalyst to help them execute their next step. Going through our program can be a litmus test of whether somebody is serious, or whether they’re just someone’s friend who wants a résumé line. That’s natural. If you’re interviewing anyone for a position, having prior experience in what the position is for is very helpful.
I don’t know how that comes back to us somehow handpicking leaders, because that’s not what happens. We are thoughtful in class makeup. We don’t want 20 attorneys in one class. We mix it up. We want different perspectives and backgrounds. There is no screening of political views or voting records.
And if anybody still has questions, I am 100% available. You can contact me, come to our events, see how we partner and collaborate. We are not closed off to anybody. If you choose not to reach out and still complain, there’s nothing I can do about that.
What are some future plans for the Foundation?
Antella Castro: I would love to have a micro-grant program for local businesses. I also think one of the next big things is listening to our graduates and what they want more of — more opportunity to engage, gather, and leverage those relationships. So we’re looking into affinity groups and what that would look like.
If you’re not constantly evolving and adapting to serve a need in your community, then you become irrelevant and extinct. So we’re trying to be organic and flexible. The organization is not the same as it was in 2013, 2017, or 2018. It’s different now, and it will continue to evolve.
But our guiding principles haven’t changed: making a positive impact in the community by educating, raising awareness, and creating opportunities for people to get engaged and serve if that’s what they want to do.
Our favorite ending question: if you had a Duffy boat, what would you name it?
Antella Castro: I think I would name it Watt Knot.
Oh, I like that.
Yes, the fun play on the electricity.
Any backups?
Antella Castro: Backup would be Livin’.
Love it. Love it.
Well, thank you for joining us.
Antella Castro: Thank you so much.
It was very insightful, and we learned a lot more than we knew already. I feel like I know so much now about the Foundation and the DCP program. We’re going to be eager to apply soon now that we know.
Antella Castro: Well, you’re welcome. I really appreciate you taking the time and asking the questions and wanting to know.
Antella, thank you so much for joining us today and for the work that you continue to do on behalf of our community. To learn more about the Newport Beach Foundation, visit nbfoundation.org. We’ll see you next time on Duffy Chats.