Dieter Cantu Public Speaker from Houston, TX

Dieter founded Cantu's Books to Incarcerated Youth Project which has expanded throughout the state of Texas. Being incarcerated as a youth for his first arrest, he was sentenced to ten years for a pack of cigarettes and a cell phone because he did not have proper representation in court and had little knowledge of the law and his rights as a child. Out of fear, he signed a plea bargain to avoid being sent to an adult facility, and ultimately served four years of my life in various high max juvenile detention centers. As a private consultant for juvenile justice reform, Dieter served as liaison to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and other national non-profit organizations, where he developed and implemented a comprehensive public policy platform on proactive criminal justice strategies. He served as a Violence Interrupter and Supervisor for Cure Violence where he established partnerships with law enforcement and elected officials to coordinate efforts collectively to rehabilitate those who have committed violent crimes. In addition, he was an advocate for youth through court testimonies, managed gang mediations, and was responsible for resolving biases and intergroup tensions, exercising independent judgement in socially tense and volatile environments. Dieter was awarded his own day on February 13th, 2018 in San Antonio, TX and also on October 23rd in Houston, TX for impacting communities across the state of Texas through his grassroots leadership and charitable endeavors. Through copious efforts such as the Respect Women Campaign, which spreads awareness on speaking out against domestic violence and gender equality, Dieter advocates for minorities so they are not silenced and are given equal opportunities for achievement. Dieter has also served on former President Barack Obama's 21st Century Police Task Force, where he brought forward new ideas and integrated perspectives that lead to improvements in San Antonio Police Department operations and policy initiatives. In addition, during Councilman Ron Nirenberg's tenure as chairman for District 8 Dieter served on the Access and Advisory Committee, where he oversaw the finance committee and handled an approximate $50,000 internal budget along with a $100,000 budget for other organizations. In March 2018, Dieter participated in a TED Talk titled, “The Child Who Believed He Could” where he shared his past experiences as a youth in the juvenile system and strategies to reform the current system that is in place. He was selected for the Rotary Club U40 program, NAACP Millenial Game-changer, Houston Business Journal 40 Under 40 Most Influential, and is currently an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.