Her Story
About Jennifer
Jennifer Diaz serves as Leadership Development Programs Lead, where she leads, designs, and implements leadership development programs. With a career that began in 2018, she has spent eight years in human resources, progressively growing through roles focused on building HR training centers, employee programming, and meetings management before transitioning to her current team. Diaz earned her undergraduate degree in hospitality management from CUNY and completed her master's at Columbia University School of Professional Studies. She is a member of the Alpha Atlanta chapter of the association for Latinos professionals and a Columbia University alumna. Diaz attributes her success to her identity as a first-generation Latina and the value of hard work, and she emphasizes being authentic, maintaining a growth mindset, and cultivating relationships. She advises young women entering the field to take risks and never be afraid of rejection.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jennifer
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say it's a connection between my parents, and knowing that I'm a first-generation Latina. Being able to understand what it is, that hard work drives value and drives impact and gives you a better way of living and a better life. That's one of my biggest motivations. And then outside of that, I feel that I've just always been very intentional and the person that I do want to be. And that's what drives me in being able to make that impact with individuals who build my legacy.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received has been to always be my authentic self. Sometimes we fall into having the imposter syndrome... Being able to always be your authentic self will always bring the best kind of version of yourself.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say, never be afraid. Always be open to take risks, no matter if you feel that the answer is gonna be no. The worst thing that can happen is that you get that no response, but you won't know that unless you take the risk and you try to move forward in what you want to accomplish.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge right now is the ever-changing landscape. I feel now with the integrations of AI, sometimes we lean too much into AI being leveraged as a tool... The biggest opportunity in my field that could play a role with how we're thinking about our junior talent... elements that I believe myself are unreplaceable, and you need to have that human aspect there.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My values will be being able to feel a connection between my professional and my personal life... Being able to be a continuous learner. I think always having that growth mindset... I would say my third value would be it would lean on relationships. I think being able to cultivate the right relationships within workplaces and how you're connecting with individuals is always essential to me.
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