June 3, 2015
The Board of Directors of Heartland Alliance yesterday announced Evelyn Diaz as the organization’s new president, effective September 1, 2015. She will succeed Rev. Dr. Sid Mohn, who will retire after 35 years of service to the organization. Ms. Diaz is currently the Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services.
“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,” said Heartland Alliance Board Chair Linda T. Coberly. “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.”
Before joining Mayor Emanuel’s cabinet, Ms. Diaz 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. Previously she worked as a direct practitioner providing individual and group counseling to domestic violence victims; managing programs for homeless women in shelter; and coordinating economic development initiatives and homeless, childcare, and domestic violence projects in Chicago’s 46th Ward.
“I’ve been driven – through my own lived experience, along with evidence I’ve collected throughout my career – by fundamental beliefs that people can transform their lives, and that great organizations like Heartland Alliance can help make that transformation possible,” said Ms. Diaz. “Anybody who knows Heartland Alliance recognizes its importance as an institution in the fight to end poverty – and 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.”
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Heartland Alliance, one of the world’s leading anti-poverty organizations, works in communities in the U.S. and abroad to serve those who are homeless, living in poverty, or seeking safety. It provides a comprehensive array of services in the areas of health, housing, jobs and justice – and leads state and national policy efforts, which target lasting change for individuals and society. For more information, visit www.stage.heartlandalliance.org
Media Contact(s):
Ned Schaub
312.350.5018
eschaub@heartlandalliance.org
