Arizona Diamondbacks’ Debbie Castaldo sits in her Chase Field office, the walls speckled with commendations from charities and family photos. Since the Arizona Diamondbacks recruited Castaldo in 2009, she has been a steady force in the team’s community work.
Last season, the 25‑year‑old franchise hit the $100 million mark in charitable giving, a milestone Castaldo credits to the ownership, leadership, staff and players. Now, the D-backs and Castaldo — the team’s senior vice president, corporate and community impact and president of the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation — are ready for the next inning.
“Now we’ve turned the page,” says Derrick Hall, the team’s president and chief executive officer. “We’re focused on the next $100 million — and doing it much quicker.”
MORE NEWS: Dimaggio’s will bring Italian classics to Uptown Plaza this fall
First-round draft pick
Her career — which included time at Macerich/Westcor as director of strategic partnerships and as director of philanthropic innovation for St. Joseph’s and Barrow Neurological Foundations — prepared her for the D-backs position.
“With St. Joe’s I got to know different people at the Cardinals and Diamondbacks,” she says. “We stayed in touch and built great relationships. Then I went to Macerich/Westcor shopping centers.
“I helped them build malls, as Macerich/Westcor was expanding. When I was at Macerich/Westcor in 2004, my mom got sick with terminal cancer. I decided at that moment that I wanted to do something that mattered.”
The move into baseball philanthropy felt like stepping onto the field with a purpose.
“When I was hired in March 2009, I immediately recognized Derrick Hall’s incredible vision for the Diamondbacks’ commitment to the community,” she says.
“He is the most inspiring leader I’ve ever worked with and is deeply dedicated to making a meaningful impact. I knew that together we had the opportunity to shape and grow the Diamondbacks’ community efforts and expand the foundation’s impact throughout Arizona.”
Hall said she transformed the Diamondbacks’ charitable reach. Under her leadership, the organization now raises nearly $13 million a year.
“I think she is the most talented person in her role, definitely in all of baseball, and I would argue maybe in all of sports,” he says. “She is extremely humble, hardworking, selfless. I’ve never seen anybody who has an impact as she has on the community.”
Castaldo’s work aligns with Hall’s culture. She describes him as “genuinely kind and authentic and committed. He knows everybody’s name.” His philosophy — FAWTSY: Find a Way to Say Yes — shapes everything from fan experience to community outreach.
“When that’s your North Star, your leader and your role model, it’s really easy to buy in,” she says. “That’s why everybody works here. Why would you ever leave?”
Millions of Arizonans — kids, families, veterans, patients, students — have benefited from her work. The team has built a philanthropic operation that responds to crises, solves long‑term problems and creates joy.
The 50/50 raffle surpassed $5.5 million in charitable revenue in 2025. Castaldo recalled the game during which the 50/50 raffle hit $100,000 for the first time, just after the Granite Mountain Hotshots tragedy.
“Everyone in the stadium was just riveted watching it climb and climb,” she says.
On Father’s Day 2025, a Buckeye father and entrepreneur won $280,000 of the $560,000 jackpot after purchasing a $20 ticket. “He’s the one who deserves it,” she says.
Pitching in
When Castaldo learned that uniforms were the biggest expense for struggling Little Leagues, she and Hall stepped up to the plate. Since 2014, the Diamondbacks Youth Jersey Program has given away 700,000 free jerseys and caps to kids across Arizona.
“We’re raising a generation of D‑backs fans,” she says. “You see them everywhere. Their parents take them to games.”
The Little League initiatives go further. Kendrick Family Fields Program was born when the team identified an additional opportunity to meet the needs of Little Leagues participating in the Diamondbacks Youth Jersey Program.
The Kendrick Family Fields Program provides financial support for leagues’ upgrades and renovations.
“Lights alone can be $100,000,” she says. “That’s where we can step in and help. We help Little League teams that may not necessarily need a full field built, but a little bit of help with renovating their field,” Castaldo says.
Castaldo says one of her proudest initiatives is the Draft Class’ club takeover day. Within days of being drafted, the players visit a Boys & Girls Club and offer lunch, D-backs swag, wiffle ball, coloring and sports with the players.
All-Star and National League Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll asked upon his draft at age 18, “Can I go do everything?” Castaldo recalls.
Over the holidays, the D-backs players and staff take kids from A New Leaf shopping for gifts at Target with $250. Participants have included Carroll; relievers Kevin Ginkel, Brandyn Garcia and Ryan Thompson; and coach Dave McKay. Players Jordan Lawlar and Andrew Saalfrank participated, too.
At the December 2025 event, Thompson said, “The D-backs just do it right. The D-backs do things that spiritually lift us up. I can leave a game dripping sweat; it doesn’t matter. The D-backs Give Back does such a great job. When they asked me to do this, I knew it was going to be a home run. It was an easy, ‘yes.’”
Ginkel lives in the Valley full-time, so he helps with food drives, lunch at Catholic Charities MANA House, and delivering turkeys during the holidays, according to Castaldo.
“These guys are incredibly, incredibly dedicated — even in the offseason,” she adds. “They’ll do anything. If we need help, they’re here to help.”
A life shaped by baseball and service
Castaldo grew up in El Paso, watching baseball with her grandfather. She married a ballplayer — Vince, a utility player who played for the Brewers, Expos and Marlins — and moved to Arizona in 1996 for Spring Training.
“I understand the life of baseball and what the players go through,” she explains. “I understand the legacy of the game. I’m deeply committed to that legacy and what it means to fans.”
Hall was raised similarly to Castaldo — loving baseball.
“I think our No. 1 goal is to share it with fans, to make memories, to make sure fans know they’re wanted, and we want them here,” she adds. “I’m very blessed. I have been able to do that for 18 years. It’s a labor of love; doing charity work and actually making a difference through that is just unbelievable.”
As the Diamondbacks celebrate the 25th anniversary of its 2001 World Series championship, Castaldo is leading a slate of initiatives honoring first responders and military members — groups deeply connected to that team’s post‑9/11 legacy. “We’re going to be busy,” she says with a smile.
First responders and the military are specifically honored as part of the anniversary celebration because of their response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Due to the tragedy, Major League Baseball paused play for a week, pushing the World Series — New York Yankees vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks — to start on Oct. 27, 2001. The game was the latest start date in MLB history at that time. Because of this delay, games three, four and five in New York became the first Major League games played in November. The series is widely remembered for the morale boost it provided a grieving nation, highlighted by President George W. Bush throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium in game three.
“We are going to be very focused on our first responders in the Valley because of what they all experienced during 9/11,” Castaldo says.
“We have special plans during the Yankees series — Sept. 18 to Sept. 20. “We’ll be out in the community in the weeks leading up to it, sharing the game with the people we’re most grateful to — the ones who keep us safe every day.”
Luis Gonzalez and Randy Johnson have been the role models, the good guys since day one, she says. “So, we’ve continued to elevate and add resources and raise money. It gives us more opportunities to do more. We laugh some days because we just can’t believe how blessed we are to be able to do the things we do. We’re not short of resources and opportunities to help those who need help. It’s a wonderful, wonderful place to be.”
