About Diana
Pronouns: she/they/ella/ellxs.
Diana joins The Kelsey as a Residents Services Manager. She brings over two decades of experience in housing, behavioral health, and community work, always centering equity, healing, and access. During her tenure with the California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as a Housing and Community Representative II, she supported the state’s Homekey program helping bring permanent, affordable housing to communities that need it most.
Her previous roles include leading the rent stabilization and tenant protection efforts for the City of Hayward, and previously managed supportive housing programs for Alameda County’s Behavioral Health Services supporting chronically homeless individuals living with mental health challenges. Across every role, her focus has remained the same: building community, advocating for those impacted by systemic injustice, and creating safer, more compassionate systems of care. She holds an A.A. in Social Science from Laney College.
She is a practitioner Curandera-Yerbera (herbalist), trained in traditional Mexican folk medicine and rooted in ancestral wisdom. Diana carries the lived experience of navigating life as an immigrant, this experience profoundly shapes her path as a healer and community advocate. Diana is passionate about using creativity, culture, and community to build bridges and nurture resilience.
What part of The Kelsey’s mission are you proudest to be part of / support?
I’m proudest to support The Kelsey’s mission to create inclusive, affordable housing that centers equity and community voice. As someone with lived experience navigating housing instability and over two decades in public service, I know how critical it is to build systems that truly serve people, especially those most impacted by systemic injustice. The Kelsey’s commitment to accessibility, disability-forward justice, and community based solutions aligns deeply with my own values as a housing practitioner and healer. It’s powerful to be part of work that not only provides housing, but reimagines what inclusive communities can look and feel like.
What do you want to create Home for More of?
I want to create Home for More joyful, inclusive communities. Places where everyone feels seen, safe, and respected. Home should be more than a roof; it should be a space for connection, healing, and belonging. I envision communities where accessibility, care, and intersectionality are at the center, and where people not only have housing, but the opportunity to thrive together. For me, joy is resistance and building joyful spaces is part of the work of justice.