April White Castañeda

April White Castañeda is a senior vice president and chief human resources officer (CHRO) at MITRE. In this role, she leads the People, Learning and Growth sector, including the MITRE Leadership Center, talent acquisition, talent engagement, HR business partners, and our Total Rewards program. A member of the executive leadership team, she also directs long-range development of strategic plans and transformation initiatives for MITRE.

Castañeda joined MITRE in March 2025 with 25 years’ experience leading HR strategy design and execution. She is the former CHRO at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Castañeda previously led human resources programs at Caltech and at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Castañeda sits on the American Association for the Advancement of Science Professional Standards & Review Committee and serves on the SLAC Board of Oversight’s Operations Committee, a Department of Energy National Lab run by Stanford University.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in women’s and cross-cultural studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in industrial/organizational social work from the University of Southern California.