Join us for coffee and conversation with U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro.

Castro was sworn in as the 16th secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on July 28, 2014. Castro previously served as the mayor of San Antonio. During his tenure, he became known as a national leader in urban development. In March 2010, Castro was named to the World Economic Forum's list of Young Global Leaders. Later that year, Time magazine placed him on its "40 Under 40" list of rising stars in American politics.

Castro had previously served on the San Antonio City Council. He is also an attorney and worked at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld before starting his own practice. He received a B.A. from Stanford University in 1996 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2000.

The Texas Tribune's Conversation Series features in-depth discussions with prominent elected officials and newsmakers moderated by Evan Smith, CEO and editor-in-chief, and other expert journalists from The Texas Tribune. Each free event at the historic Austin Club in downtown Austin features coffee, networking and audience question-and-answer time.

This series of conversations is generously sponsored by AT&T, Texas A&M University, BP, The University of Texas at Arlington and PepsiCo. Tribune events are also supported through contributions from our founding investors and members.

Disclosure: though donors and corporate sponsors underwrite The Texas Tribune events, they play no role in determining the content, panelists or line of questioning.