Diana Hernandez is the Director of Development, West Region for the University of Maryland (UMD). Through her work in higher education, she specializes in building strategic relationships and developing robust fundraising programs to help advance the missions of organizations she serves. Diana is passionate about increasing access to higher education through philanthropy, particularly for first-generation students. Prior to UMD, Diana built and oversaw fundraising programs at both UCLA and USC. She is also an alumna of CORO Southern California, a program committed to collaborating and leading across differences to drive innovative solutions and positively impact communities.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from UCLA in American Literature and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.