Speaker

Monica Diaz is the vice president of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellness at ESPN (part of The Walt Disney Company). She joined the company in 2012, with extensive experience in the Human Resources field, in the areas of Global Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Management and Organizational Development. Her areas of expertise include corporate culture transformation, development of high performing teams and leadership in multi-cultural and matrix environments.   

In her role at ESPN, Monica is the chief architect of the company’s Diversity, Inclusion and Wellness strategy. She leads ESPN’s strategy to fully leverage the contributions of diverse constituencies in alignment with business priorities. She is also responsible for driving the continuous evolution of a healthy and vibrant work environment that enables employees to contribute to their fullest potential.

Before joining ESPN and The Walt Disney Company, Monica developed a solid career within globally recognized companies, such as Microsoft, Merck & Co and Sara Lee Corporation.  

Monica’s breadth of knowledge is frequently sought after by practitioners from different industries and professional organizations. She engages in public speaking forums, such as the Tri-State Diversity Council; Advertising Women of New York (AWNY); Harvard University – Latinas Development Conference; Executive Development Institute; The Conference Board and the State Farm D&I Conference. She has been recognized as one of Hispanic Business Magazine’s 50 Influentials (2013) and 100 Influentials (2011), as well as the Worldwide Who’s Who among Executives and Professionals in 2007, 2008 and 2012.

Her work with professional and non-profit organizations involves roles as Advisory Board Member of Madrinas, role model and mentoring for minority students with HISPA and member of the Corporate Executive Council of the Hispanic Association of Corporate Responsibility.

Monica’s qualifications include specialized certifications and training in Change Execution, Six-Sigma, Personal Styles and Preferences, and Employee Benefits Law. She has a multi-cultural background, is bilingual-biliterate in English and Spanish, with proficiency in Portuguese.   She holds a MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, BA in Psychology (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Puerto Rico and recently completed the WISE Executive Leadership Institute from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.