Mercedes Elizalde and Sam Diaz join HDC’s board of directors!
The staff and board of HDC extend our warmest welcome to HDC’s new board members, Mercedes Elizalde and Sam Diaz. Mercedes is director of advocacy at Latino Network. Sam is executive director of 1000 Friends of Oregon. Mercedes and Sam each bring valuable experience and knowledge to the role of providing strategic leadership, vision, and fiduciary oversight for HDC. Together, they will add critical expertise in areas such as community organizing, housing policy, and land use policy to HDC’s stellar board.
More about Mercedes and Sam:
Mercedes Elizalde works at the intersection of direct service and public policy, combining her passions for community empowerment and addressing root causes of social issues. As director of advocacy at Latino Network, Mercedes leads a team focused on developing leadership within the Latinx community and advocating for the community’s rights and wellbeing. Previously, Mercedes worked as director of public policy at Central City Concern and as policy and engagement strategist for Seattle Councilmember Debora Juarez. Mercedes serves as board president for Northwest Instituto Latino.
Sam Diaz serves as executive director of 1000 Friends of Oregon, the state’s watchdog group that works with Oregonians to create vibrant, inclusive, connected cities, towns, and main streets while safeguarding farms, forests, and watersheds. His work includes collaborating with communities to remove barriers to building affordable housing in all neighborhoods. Sam has worked for local and state elected officials in Oregon and California to advance land use decisions, transportation policies and projects, and housing availability and affordability policies and investments. He has also worked in philanthropy to develop, implement, and manage programs for a more sustainable and inclusive American West. Sam earned a J.D. and a certificate in energy, natural resources, and environmental law and policy from Lewis & Clark Law School and a B.A. from Colgate University with majors in anthropology, sociology, and geography.
Welcome, Mercedes and Sam!