Dorian Díaz Director of Technical Assistance Excelencia in Education Email ddiaz@edexcelencia.org Current Position: Dorian serves as the Director of Technical Assistance as part of the Institutional Capacity team and is responsible for leading the implementation of Excelencia’s technical assistance strategy that includes institutes, pláticas, webinars, and tools for institutional teams to support their transformational progress to more intentionally serve Latino, and all, students. In addition, he oversees the case management, informational methods, and strategies to assist institutions with improving access, retention, and completion of Latino students by facilitating their progress.Past Experiences: Dorian has dedicated more than 15 years to education and intends to make that a lifelong commitment. Prior to joining Excelencia, he worked in higher education helping students participate in high impact practices outside of the traditional classroom experience. In addition to his higher education work, Dorian has non-profit experience from his time with LNESC, where he focused on educational and leadership opportunities for K-12 Latino students. Dorian also served in the Peace Corps, providing community economic development working with women’s groups on business start-up strategies and teaching English in El Abanico, Costa Rica.Why are you bringing your talent to Excelencia?Excelencia’s mission of accelerating Latino student success resonated with me given my desire to ensure that Latino, and all, students’ success is constantly being pushed to the front of the agenda of higher education institutions. I remember navigating higher education as a first-generation college student; it was quite daunting. Add in the fact that the majority of faculty, staff, and students didn’t look like me, it made for a difficult and confusing journey. The experience shouldn’t have to be like this, which is why I’m passionate about the cause and believe in the Excelencia way.How would you describe working at Excelencia?Each day is a rewarding experience. Working with like-minded individuals, who are passionate about Latino student success and always striving to improve, makes working at Excelencia such a welcoming environment.