About Diana

Diana Soriano (she/her/ella) is a Lecturer for the Institute for Leadership Excellence and Development (iLEAD) at the College of Business Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Diana teaches Business Administration courses emphasizing professional presence and professional development and teaches at a public, R1, and a four-year Hispanic Serving Institution in Illinois. The iLEAD Professional Development Program provides a curriculum to discover and sharpen authentic professional presence through improvisational techniques. She is pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Administration and Foundations with a concentration in Leadership, Equity, and Inquiry at Illinois State University. Diana is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and holds her historical and cultural roots firmly in her heart and scholarly work. She was born and raised in Chicago and is a Chicago Public School alumna. She completed her bachelor's degree in the Teaching of History with a minor in Latin American and Latino studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She also earned her master's degree in Instructional Leadership with a concentration in Policy Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Diana is skilled in teaching, public speaking, and improvisational training. In her former academic and professional role, she provided expertise in retention initiatives, administrative leader advisor, scholarship selection chair and reviewer, curriculum and instruction, and implementation and evaluation of programming. Currently, she serves as an Executive Board Member of the Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Latinos (CCSL) and Co-chairs the Latina Network. Diana is committed to social justice work and driven to advocate for equity in educational spaces.