Dr. Diaz is a recognized expert in policy analysis, program evaluation, post-secondary education, project management and applied quantitative and qualitative research methods. She obtained her doctoral degree in 2014 and her research experience includes public policy implementation and policy instruments, accountability and governance, performance measurement and postsecondary education. Over the past ten years, her work focused on institutional research and planning in a university  environment. In this role, she was responsible for the production of data for program evaluation, for outcome development and assessment, for data analysis initiatives, for economic and financial assessments as well as projects regarding policy analysis and implementation. She has also participated in the preparation and delivery of workshops on institutional research at the international level. 
 
Prior to joining the post-secondary education community, Dr. Diaz worked as an economist in the Ontario government, focusing on infrastructure development. Her experience spans diverse fields including health, post-secondary education, science and technology, as well as natural resources. She contributed to policy formulation and the design of outcome measures for implementation for numerous provincial government initiatives. She is an experienced and effective communicator, capable of translating complex issues into concrete messages to guide and inform decision makers. She also has the ability to establish linkages and dependencies across diverse portfolios and to identify priority areas for further analysis or intervention.