2022 Inaugural Graciela Olivárez Latinas in the Legal Academy ("GO LILA") Workshop
Leticia M. Diaz
Leticia M. Diaz is one of the founding faculty members of Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law and was appointed dean in 2007. Dean Diaz is the first Cuban-American woman to hold the position of dean at an ABA-accredited law school in the United States.
Combining her legal background with a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, Dean Diaz has taught classes as diverse as Torts, Environmental Law, Products Liability, and Workers’ Compensation, and she has authored or co-authored over 20 law review articles.
Under Dean Diaz’s leadership, the law school has received recognition and accolades for its diverse student population, campus expansion, pro bono clinical programs, and Moot Court and Trial Team competition teams. U.S. News & World Report ranked Barry Law 8th nationally among law schools for diversity, and PreLaw Magazine gave the law school an A+ ranking for its diversity for the past several years, most recently in its Winter 2021 issue. Dean Diaz received the 2021 Spirit of Engagement award from i4 Business as part of its Annual Women’s Inspired Leadership Awards for her work diversifying the Barry Law student body, faculty, and staff.
That same year, the National Diversity Council recognized Dean Diaz as a National Latino Leader, an individual who has achieved professional success while paving the way for other Latinos to advance in the corporate arena. These recipients demonstrate leadership excellence and high visibility in the Latino community. She has shown her passion and devotion for Latino issues by hosting a White House Hispanic Action Summit at the law school and having served on the ABA Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities and the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando. She also wrote an article on the DREAM Act, “Strengthening America,” that was entered into the Congressional Record and has authored several op-eds in newspapers throughout Florida, educating a larger audience on Latino issues that affect everyone.
Dean Diaz has been acknowledged by numerous publications throughout her tenure at Barry Law. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Orlando Business Journal’s Diversity in Business Awards and earned “Leading Lawyers” recognition from the South Florida Business Journal. Orlando Magazine named her one of the Women Who Move the City for two years in a row. Visión magazine, a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando publication, listed her as one of 25 influential Hispanics in Central Florida. She also received a Mujeres Destacadas award from La Prensa, another local publication aimed at the Hispanic community, naming her an Outstanding Female in Education. In addition, Onyx Magazine has recognized her as one of their Women on the Move, and Profiles in Diversity Journal named her as a Woman Worth Watching.
Some of Dean Diaz’s other accomplishments include winning the Woman of the Year Award from the Women’s Executive Council, the Floridiana Award from the Cuban Women’s Club, and the Outstanding Hispanic Female in the Legal Field award at the inaugural Hispanic Women Who Make the Difference Awards.
Related Sessions
© Stanford University. Stanford, California 94305.