Dianelis Figueroa
Dianelis Figueroa is the Chief of Public Relations at Central Florida Retina, where she leads strategic communications, marketing, and community engagement initiatives for one of the region’s premier privately owned retina practices. With a strong background in ophthalmology and healthcare administration, she oversees media relations, brand strategy, physician onboarding, social media management, and internal communications. Known for her creativity and collaborative leadership style, Dianelis builds meaningful partnerships with optometrists, ophthalmologists, and community organizations to strengthen patient-centered care and elevate the practice’s presence across Central Florida.
Her career in ophthalmology began at the clinical level, serving as an ophthalmic technician before advancing into practice relations and marketing leadership roles. Prior to joining Central Florida Retina, she spent seven years with Florida Retina Institute, where she played a key role in business development, telemedicine implementation during COVID-19, clinical research coordination, and operational efficiency. These experiences provided her with comprehensive insight into patient care, physician collaboration, and the importance of cultivating positive workplace culture—principles that continue to guide her leadership philosophy.
Dianelis holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Services Administration from University of Central Florida and a Master of Science in Health Care Risk Management from Nova Southeastern University. A bilingual communications professional and dedicated advocate for team empowerment, she is passionate about fostering supportive environments where employees thrive and patients receive exceptional care. Based in Orlando, Florida, Dianelis remains focused on expanding the practice’s reach, strengthening community relationships, and positioning Central Florida Retina as a leading force in vision care throughout the state.
• Nova Southeastern University
• University of Central Florida
• Lighthouse of Central Florida
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to several key factors that have guided me throughout my career. First, I'm a strong believer in speaking things into existence and not being afraid to say my goals out loud. A lot of people create fear around sharing their dreams because they worry others will doubt them or mess them up, but it worked the total opposite for me. I remember being a technician and telling my manager, 'I'm gonna run this place, or I'm gonna be an executive assistant of some sort.' I always gave myself a title and spoke it out loud. I also made the right connections by speaking to everyone about what I wanted to do, because you never know who you meet and how they can influence your career. Someone is always watching, and that's exactly how I got to where I am now. My current COO reached out to me via LinkedIn and said he had been watching my career for a long time. Beyond that, I believe in always being genuine and really believing in yourself. When you're genuine and truly confident in the work you provide and who you are as a person, everybody sees that. Even when I was scared to leave my previous company because of loyalty, I learned that when you're confident in your work and know who you are as a person, people see that, trust you, and believe in you. My drive as a single mom also pushed me to be at my top tier and be the best I could be, working through late nights while balancing work, motherhood, and school.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say don't be afraid to speak your goals out loud and talk to people about what you want to do. I really believe in speaking things into existence. A lot of times we question ourselves and think we don't want to tell too many people because we're afraid they'll doubt us or create fear, but I would say it worked in the total opposite way for me. I remember being a technician and telling my manager, 'I'm gonna run this place, or I'm gonna be an executive assistant of some sort.' I always gave myself a title and spoke it out loud. Make the right connections and speak to everyone about what you want to do, because you never know who you meet and how they can influence your career or your goals. Remember, somebody's always watching. I got recruited by my current company through LinkedIn because the COO had been watching my career for a long time, and I never even knew it. Also, always be yourself and be genuine. This is so important because when you're genuine and you're truly confident in the work that you provide and who you are as a person, everybody sees that. Really believe in yourself, because when you're confident within your work and you know who you are as a person, people see that, they trust you, and they believe in you. Everything else will work out when you believe in yourself.