Carlos Maestas
(District 1)
Carlos Maestas believes storytelling is the best way for organizations and people to move others to action. He is the founder and chief storysmith at Key Ideas, a Texas-based storytelling firm that helps organizations sharpen and share their messages. Carlos has directed storytelling projects across four continents and six countries, including Taiwan, India, Liberia, Mexico, Russia, and the United States. In Liberia, he shared stories of the Ebola outbreak and the recovery from two brutal civil wars. In Moldova, he shared stories of children susceptible to human trafficking aging out of orphanages at 16 in Moldova. Carlos was a key storytelling partner for the Human Service Council of New York and launched a multi-year Just Pay campaign to fight for equal pay for the human service workforce. In 2024, NYC announced over $741 million in long overdue raises for human service workers.
Carlos has interviewed thousands of people in his career, and since Key Ideas launched in 2002, it has won multiple awards and received five Lone Star EMMY nominations. Local and national organizations frequently hire Carlos to lead their teams through a workshop called “Storytelling that Moves People.” During the workshop, Carlos covers characteristics of authentic storytelling and how to apply them, so your stories build trust with your audience. The workshop also covers ways to lead and motivate your team through storytelling and the value of sharing your personal story. A stand-up comedian who once opened for Saturday Night Live alum Dennis Miller, Carlos has an MBA from The University of Incarnate Word and a BA in Marketing from UTSA. He is currently a PhD student at Our Lady of the Lake University. His book on Storytelling, Mommy Lied to God, launched in the Summer of 2020, and quickly became an Amazon bestseller. In January 2024, San Antonio City Councilwoman Dr. Sukh Kaur (District 1) appointed Carlos to the Brooks Board.
Carlos is the Chair-elect of the SAISD Foundation board and serves on marketing advisory committees for the DoSeum and the San Antonio Food Bank. Carlos is married to a career educator, and he and his wife have three kids.