Pearl S. Buck International Names Cheryl Castro as New President & CEO

The Board of Directors of Pearl S. Buck International has named Cheryl Castro as its new President & CEO. Castro, who has a long history with the organization, most recently served as Interim President & CEO, a role she was appointed to by the Board in May 2024. Prior to that, she served as Vice Chair of the Pearl S. Buck International Board of Directors.

Castro joined the Pearl S. Buck International Board of Directors in March 2021. She is the owner and former president of The Up Agency, a Perkasie-based marketing agency dedicated to helping businesses that are making the world better. She was previously Vice President of Parlee & Co. Marketing and co-owner of Aaron Mitchell Photography. Castro has been an avid ambassador for Pearl S. Buck International for more than 15 years, and active member of the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce since 2007. Castro holds a BS in Psychology from Temple University.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, it is my distinct honor to welcome Cheryl as our new President and Chief Executive Officer,” said Pearl S. Buck International Board Chair Falesha Grasty in a statement. “We are confident that her extensive experience and visionary leadership will propel our organization to unprecedented levels of success and innovation. Under her stewardship, we are committed to remaining a steadfast community pillar in our ever-evolving environment while faithfully upholding the mission of Pearl S. Buck International. We eagerly anticipate supporting her as she guides us into a promising future, achieving remarkable milestones together.”

Castro stated, “It is an honor to be chosen to lead this fantastic organization, and to not only further Pearl’s mission but also incorporate in new visions to help create a more compassionate and understanding world, needed today more than ever. By educating the community about different cultures, offering educational field trips and tours, and providing families and businesses the opportunity to sponsor humanitarian aid for children around the world, we are already making a difference. Now we need to expand our reach even more. It’s an ambitious mission, but to quote Pearl S. Buck herself, ‘All things are possible until they are proved impossible—and even the impossible may only be so, as of now.'”

Pearl S. Buck International, whose headquarters are in Hilltown, Bucks County, is an international non-profit organization that carries out the cross-cultural, educational, and humanitarian legacy of its founder, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Pearl S. Buck through humanitarian aid to children, families, and communities throughout seven countries in Asia and Africa; through collaboration with like-minded organizations to provide intercultural education, programming and activities to the local community; and through tours of Ms. Buck’s former home, now the Pearl S. Buck House National Historic Landmark Museum.

Castro’s appointment to this new role is effective March 17, 2025. For more information on Pearl S. Buck International, visit https://pearlsbuck.org/.

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Pearl S. Buck International^® provides opportunities to explore and appreciate other cultures, builds better lives for children around the globe and promotes the legacy of our founder by preserving and interpreting her National Historic Landmark Home.

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