Paola Diaz

Paola Diaz, MBA, MPA, works at the FDIC's Strategic Partnerships and Program Development Section. She is a connector, a change agent and an innovation catalyst. She joined the FDIC in 2014 to work on economic inclusion initiatives and held leading and advisory roles in various FDIC areas including consumer protection and risk management supervisory functions, research, corporate training and recruitment, procurement, communications and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders. Between 2008 and 2013, she served as a consultant to over 100 financial institutions and nonprofits in 23 states and 10 countries. Previously, she was the first CEO and founder of a credit union, and director of two SBA Women Business Centers in the state of Georgia, assisting minority entrepreneurs to access credit and government contracts. Her international work includes consulting engagements with global development organizations such as CARE, FINCA, Habitat for Humanity and the Inter-American Development Bank. She is the recipient of three FDIC Chairman Excellence Awards for her work on Diversity and Inclusion and the FDIC's GetBanked campaign. Paola is the Founder of the Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Advancement (HOLA), a Hispanic Employee Resource Group (ERG) at the FDIC, and an interagency Hispanic ERG leaders' network. Paola is a native of Ecuador.