The Board of Directors of Heartland Alliance announced, on June 2, that Evelyn Diaz would succeed Sid Mohn as the organization's new president, effective September 1, 2015. Diaz is currently the Commissioner of Chicago's Department of Family and Support Services.
In a press release, Heartland Alliance Board Chai Linda T. Coberly said, "I'm thrilled to welcome Evelyn as our new President. She knows Heartland Alliance well and will bring a wealth of experience and passion to the work we do, both here and abroad. Her management experience spans both nonprofit and government organizations, from smaller community-based initiatives to her current post, where she oversees a budget of more than $300 million annually. And she is a recognized leader and public voice on issues of poverty and homelessness."
Diaz previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff under Mayor Richard M. Daley, acting as the Mayor's liaison to the City's human capital departments and overseeing initiatives related to poverty, jobs, and economic security. She was later appointed chief executive officer of a quasi-governmental organization, the Chicago Workforce Investment Council.
"I've been driventhrough my own lived experience, along with evidence I've collected throughout my careerby fundamental beliefs that people can transform their lives, and that great organizations like Heartland Alliance can help make that transformation possible," said Diaz. "Anybody who knows Heartland Alliance recognizes its importance as an institution in the fight to end povertyand feels gratitude for the ways that it has shined light on injustice, and supported those seeking a better life. I am honored to have been appointed as its next president and to join its family of dedicated and talented professionals, in the care for its legacy and mission."