Nextdoor Promotes Tony Castellanos to EVP, Elevating AI-Driven People Strategy for Growth
Castellanos will lead the People organization with AI at the center, driving the talent and organizational strategy behind the company’s next phase of growth
Nextdoor Holdings, Inc. the essential neighborhood network, announced the promotion of Tony Castellanos to Executive Vice President, People. Castellanos will lead Nextdoor’s People organization including talent acquisition, compensation, HR business partnering, and benefits — as the company deepens its investment in AI-enabled People operations and continues to scale its workforce strategy.
Castellanos has risen through the ranks at Nextdoor for the past six years, most recently serving as Head of Compensation and Talent, where he built and led the teams responsible for attracting, developing, and retaining world-class talent. Bringing nearly two decades of experience across compensation, talent acquisition, and HR business partnering, he has spent his career embedding the People function as a true strategic advisor to the business. Under his leadership, Nextdoor’s People function evolved from a traditional HR organization into a strategic advisory body embedded across the business — partnering directly with senior leaders to drive the company’s most critical talent and organizational decisions.
Prior to Nextdoor, Castellanos held recruiting and people roles at Google and Square, where he developed the foundation in talent strategy and business partnership that has defined his career. A former competitor and coach in sports, Castellanos has spent his career bringing people together to accomplish shared goals.
Castellanos has spent the past several years building Nextdoor’s AI-forward approach to HR from the ground up, designing systems that give employees faster, more consistent support while freeing his team to focus on work that actually requires human judgment. He’s guided by a straightforward conviction: technology should make space for authentic human connection, not crowd it out. Under his leadership, Nextdoor has deployed AI across three core areas:
- Recruiting: Hiring managers are positioned as true owners of team growth, with the People team providing strategic direction, real-time insights, and talent guidance at scale.
- Compensation and Benefits: AI agents deliver faster, more consistent employee support, giving the People team room to focus on strategic design and planning.
- People Business Partnering: Deeply integrated into Nextdoor’s business units, ensuring people strategy is as dynamic and data-informed as the company’s product and revenue work.
Together, these investments reflect Nextdoor’s conviction that a high-performing People function — one that applies analytical rigor and human empathy in equal measure — is a direct driver of business growth.
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“Tony embodies what we believe the people function should be: strategic, data-driven, and deeply invested in the success of the business and the people who power it,” said Nirav Tolia, Chief Executive Officer at Nextdoor. “I’m excited to partner closely with him as we enter our next phase of growth, powered by AI.”
“We’re entering an era where the people function isn’t just enabling the business; it’s actively shaping its future. That’s what we’re building toward at Nextdoor, powered by the right blend of technology and human judgment,” said Tony Castellanos, Executive Vice President, People at Nextdoor. “I’m deeply grateful to Nirav, our Nextdoor leadership, and the entire People team for their trust and support.”
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