Fallbrook A Leer's announces 20th anniversary keynote speaker

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Dr. Viridiana Diaz, Vice President of Student Affairs at CSUSM, is the keynote speaker for Fallbrook A Leer's 20th annual day of literacy and service on Saturday, March 23.

FALLBROOK – Fallbrook A Leer is celebrating its 20th annual day of literacy and service on Saturday, March 23 and is honored to announce Dr. Viridiana Diaz, Vice President of Student Affairs at Cal State San Marcos, as the event keynote speaker.

Dr. Diaz began her tenure at CSUSM in January 2022. Before joining CSUSM, she served as associate VP for Strategic Student Support Programs at California State University, Sacramento, where she served as one of the primary vehicles for leveraging student success initiatives, breaking down systemic barriers to success, tending to equity gaps, and achieving goals set for by the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025 through program development, implementation, assessment, project management, and fundraising.

Her career in higher education has spanned 20 years, dedicated to creating a more inclusive campus for first-generation, Pell Grant-eligible, migrant/immigrant, undocumented, LGBTQIA+, and un-housed youth.

While at Sacramento State, she held various positions including assistant VP for strategic diversity initiatives, special assistant to the president, co-director for the DEGREES (Dedicated to Educating, Graduating and Retaining Educational Equity Students) program, director of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), career counselor/coordinator and admissions and outreach counselor.

Dr. Diaz brings a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, as well as cross-divisional campus partnerships and community engagement. Her impressive career perfectly aligns with the collective dedication to student success at CSUSM.

As a first-generation college student, Dr. Diaz completed a bachelor's degree in communications studies, a master's degree in Latin American literature, a second master's degree in history, and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy.

She is also a graduate of UC Berkeley's Executive Leadership Academy, Stanford University's Executive Leadership Management Institute, and the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education.

In 2022, Dr. Diaz received the San Diego Business Journal Woman of the Year Rising Star Award. She also served as a 2020-2021 Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Leadership Academy fellow and a 2021-2022 American Leadership Forum Mountain Valley Chapter Class of XXV fellow. Furthermore, she is a recipient of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Latina Star Award and was named by the Sacramento Bee's Vida en el Valle newspaper as one of the "People Who Have Left a Mark in the Sacramento Area."

This event will be held at Maie Ellis Elementary School on 400 West Elder Street and is in honor of Cesar Chavez's life's work and legacy. Fallbrook A Leer is an award-winning program. All are invited to attend and/or contribute to this important cause.

Submitted by Fallbrook A Leer.