Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch

Born and raised in a small, borderside barrio of Laredo, Texas, Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch conquered the challenges of poverty, discrimination and illiteracy. Raised without material wealth, Consuelo learned from her immigrant parents that their wealth was in culture, tradition, values, and faith.

The values Consuelo learned as a child were reinforced throughout her career in the United States military. After graduating from Hardin Simmons University, Consuelo entered the U.S. Army as an officer and served for two decades. During that time, she broke barriers and set records when she became the highest-ranking Mexican-American woman in the Combat Support Field of the U.S. Army.

When selected to assume a command post, Consuelo disrupted her advancement by deciding to retire. She chose instead to honor her mother’s dying wish – for her to return to her roots and become a community leader. In 1996, Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch founded the human development company, Educational Achievement Services, Inc. (EAS, Inc.), to fulfill her mission of preparing tomorrow’s leaders through grassroots leadership development.

Consuelo Kickbusch affirms that her greatest achievement stems from motherhood. She loves spending time with her husband, five daughters and six grandchildren.

Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch’s dedication to today’s young leaders has garnered her numerous awards and citations from educational institutions, government agencies, professional organizations, and national media.

Consuelo most recently received an honorary Doctorate from the Iberoamerican Institute of Higher Studies for her career of contributions and dedication to education and community. Consuelo Kickbusch has received multiple distinguished awards including the 2012 CHCI Medallion of Excellence for Leadership and Community Service; the 2017 National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) Crystal Star Award of Excellence in Dropout Recovery, Intervention, and Prevention; the 2021 Outstanding Friend of Public Education award from the Horace Mann League; and the 2022 Dr. Héctor P. Garcia Legacy Award awarded by the National Diversity Council. She has been profiled on HBO’s the Latino List, CNN’s Latino in America, Univision’s Don Francisco Presenta, the Lifetime Network, National Public Radio, the syndicated television program Hispanics Today, and American Latino Television’s Latination program . Consuelo has also been featured in Hispanic Business magazine’s 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America, O Magazine, LatinaStyle, Vanidades, and Glamour magazine.