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(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman today appointed Carlos Castillo of Omaha to serve as Director of the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services (DAS).
"Carlos is a proven manager and strategic thinker," Gov. Heineman said. "His work was instrumental in moving Douglas County elections forward, and he has just finished running one of the most technologically advanced campaigns in Nebraska history. I chose him for this post because I have great confidence in his ability to bring new and innovative ideas to the management of state government resources."
DAS manages the day-to-day business of state government operations, which includes overseeing maintenance of state-owned properties and management of the state's vehicle fleet, in addition to processing employee payroll and benefits, accounting and purchasing. Castillo will succeed Gerry Oligmueller, who had been serving as interim DAS director for the past year and who will return full-time to his post as State Budget Administrator when Castillo takes over the DAS director's position on Monday, Jan. 8.
Castillo said, "I am grateful to have this opportunity to work alongside the Governor in this new role, and look forward to working with the DAS team to have a positive impact on the operations of state government. Important progress has been made by each of my predecessors, and I hope to leave behind a similar record of achievement."
Castillo joins the Cabinet after serving as the Governor's campaign manager. Prior to joining the Governor's election team in 2005, Castillo served as Douglas County Election Commissioner, the chief election official of the state's most populous county.
As Election Commissioner, Castillo implemented the shift from traditional printing of ballots to digital printing, resulting in a savings of approximately $100,000 in 2004. Under his supervision, the Douglas County Election Commission implemented the Help America Vote Act, which established minimum standards for administering elections and helped counties replace outdated voting systems. He reorganized the elections office, implemented a program that resulted in employees being trained to perform multiple duties within the office, and led efforts to create a more user-friendly, voter-accessible Election Commission Web site.
As the Governor's campaign manager, Castillo managed a $2.5 million budget, served as the campaign's primary spokesman, and built a statewide network of more than 1,500 volunteers that relied heavily on technology to conduct a statewide get-out-the-vote effort. His previous political experience included managing all or part of political campaigns for U.S. Rep. Lee Terry and U.S. Senate candidate Scott Moore.
Castillo worked as a constituent services liaison for Rep. Terry, and served as executive director of the Douglas County Republican Party from 1999 to 2000. He began his management career as a visitor service training and recruitment director for the Omaha Zoological Society. Castillo is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
He will be paid an annual salary of $88,000.
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