Q. What inspired you to pursue a career in leadership development and strategic human resources, and how has your academic background as a PhD shaped your approach to mentoring emerging leaders?

Diana: My path into leadership development was not a straight line — and I think that is part of what makes it meaningful. I spent almost eight years as an IT systems analyst at USAA, where I learned to think systematically, bridge technical and human complexities, and translate what’s complicated into what’s actionable. When I transitioned into academia, I brought that mindset with me. My PhD dissertation explored the relationship between mentor leadership style and protégé career advancement, so in a real sense, my research and my career origin story are the same question: how do the people who guide us shape who we become?

Doctoral training taught me to ask better questions rather than supply comfortable answers — and that discipline carries directly into my mentoring work. When I chair dissertations, I am not handing candidates a roadmap; I am helping them develop the intellectual confidence to build their own. That distinction matters, especially when the research touches real communities, as it did in studies on COVID’s impact on Hispanic-owned businesses and on the lived experiences of informal caregivers.

Q. You’ve done significant work in bilingual academic programs and enhancing online learning experiences. What do you believe are the biggest opportunities today for HR professionals to bridge cultural divides and develop more inclusive leaders?

Diana: When I led the launch of a graduate organizational development and leadership program in Spanish for UIW’s campuses in Mexico City, the most important lesson was not about translation — it was about access. We were not simply converting course materials into another language; we were opening a credential pathway for professionals who would otherwise have been locked out of it entirely. That experience crystallized something I had long believed: bilingual HR professionals are among the most underutilized strategic assets in any organization, and the profession has been slow to recognize this.

The same principle applies in online learning design: when courses are built without cultural intentionality, certain learners are disadvantaged before the first module begins. My work with the San Antonio Area Foundation — presenting on retention, employee engagement, and HR essentials to leaders of community-serving nonprofits — reinforced for me that inclusive leadership is not a soft concept. It is a measurable outcome shaped by deliberate decisions at the curriculum and culture levels.

Q. As a frequent volunteer with SHRM San Antonio and a dedicated mentor, what advice would you give to other HR professionals who want to grow their careers while giving back to the profession?

Serving as Director of Professional Development for the San Antonio SHRM Chapter from 2023 to 2025 was one of the most professionally stretching experiences of my career — and I say that having also chaired doctoral dissertations and launched graduate programs across two countries. Volunteer leadership is genuinely different, and the difference matters. Here is what I would pass on:

• Volunteer leadership teaches you things a paid role will not, because you must earn buy-in without positional authority.
• Contribute from your area of depth, not just your availability. The most impactful volunteer work I did was not organizing events — it was designing programs that directly connected HR practitioners to current research, trends, and one another. Bring your expertise to the table, not just your time.
• Holding a SHRM-CP or PHR is a commitment, not a credential you file away. Maintaining certification while actively applying these skills creates a productive feedback loop: the questions students and practitioners ask keep your knowledge sharp, and your preparation makes their learning more relevant. The two activities reinforce each other in ways that purely individual study rarely does.
• The chapter platform opened doors I did not anticipate, including speaking invitations, publication ideas, and curriculum work shaped by real conversations with practitioners. Start at the local level, and the reach and impact will follow.