Mrs. Vanessa Casillas serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Changing Lives Staffing. She co-founded the firm as a designated Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and in
eight years expanded to multiple locations throughout the Inland Empire and a branch in Chicago, Illinois. In this role, Mrs. Casillas provides strategic direction and resources to support a team of 32 employees dedicated to the placement of administrative and industrial professionals. The Changing Lives team specializes in recruiting and staffing for a variety of small, mid-size companies to include large corporations, providing management services including temporary placement, direct- and temp-to-hire, on-site management, employee training, HR management and payroll.
Mrs. Vanessa Casillas was only one year old when she, along with her mother, who was a new widow, immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador seeking asylum with no support. Her Father was killed in the Salvadorian civil war just two months prior to leaving their home country. Mrs. Casillas her mother and six siblings grew up in extreme poverty in the area of South Los Angeles (formerly known as South Central LA). Her mother had limited education and struggled to find unskilled labor jobs and childcare. They had minimal support from relatives, so they frequently had to move due to financial hardship.
Her lived experiences with shelter, food and income insecurities served as a catalyst to work hard in order to help others in similar situations. She harnessed the passion to help by launching a business with the primary goal of developing people and leaders. Mrs. Casillas is the co-founder and CEO of Changing Lives Staffing Inc., a Southern California employment agency that focuses on building communities and making a positive impact for low-income individuals and families while changing lives.
While she acknowledges the launch of Changing Lives Staffing is among the most rewarding experiences of her life, it was also one of the hardest accomplishments for her. What was once a company that started with zero customers, has grown into a multi-million-dollar company in over eight years.
Mrs. Casillas has over 25 years of industry experience with leading staffing vendors and has served various senior management roles. Previously, she co-founded two other businesses, EMPOWER ME NOW LLC, a leadership motivational training center that focuses on offering training to develop professionals and leaders at the same time maintaining compliance and Just like Grandma’s house day care LLC a daycare in low-income communities for working parents.
More recently, Ms. Casillas is planning to launch a PM (Professional Makeup) Mobile Service, “Glow Up Sis” that provides services to uplift women trying to re-enter the working world focusing on single parents. The mobile service will focus in getting long term stay at home single parents with professional attire, makeup, resume building and interview coaching. In essence a way into the working world with direction, confidence, and guidance.