Raquel Diaz, EdD
Senior Manager, Leadership and Early Learning Partnerships
Raquel Munarriz Diaz serves as the senior manager for leadership and early learning partnerships at the Lastinger Center. In this role, Raquel seeks partnership opportunities with organizations and early learning state systems who believe in supporting the design and facilitation of reflective, job-embedded professional development for educators.
Raquel has more than 32 years of experience working in early childhood education. She is National Board Certified in Early Childhood. Prior to her appointment as professor in residence for the University of Florida in 2009, she served as the Miami Science Museum’s Project Coordinator, where she helped develop and disseminate an early childhood science curriculum.
Her passion is focused on cultivating communities of practice where professionals are empowered to grow in their field through collaborative tools. Raquel serves as an alumni member of the Zero to Three (ZTT) Fellowship, chair elect of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Affiliate Advisory Council and was recently elected the first Latina president of the Florida Association for the Education of Young Children (FLAEYC). Raquel is a first-generation college graduate, earning her doctorate, who strives to inspire the workforce to help themselves and young learners thrive.
Outside of work, she loves to spend time with her family, that now includes two adorable granddaughters. She also loves to take long walks and loves to dance to Latin beats in the Zumba class she attends a few times a week. Her favorite saying is “Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History”.