“As a child I was the ‘health
navigator’ for my family, who
faced structural and systemic
inequities that impacted their
health. As an adult my passion
is to work for equitable health
outcomes for everyone, health
initiatives focused on prevention
and early intervention, and
community-wide engagement to
improve our public health.”
Angelica Diaz
Program Manager II
County of Santa Clara Public Health Department
A
ngelica Diaz, 36, is a Program Manager II
with the County of Santa Clara Public Health
Department. In this role she manages a vital oral health
program housed in the Department’s Maternal, Child and
Family Health Branch. She oversees a state-funded grant
to increase infrastructure, capacity, programs and policies;
reduce disease and eliminate disparities in oral health;
and increase the number of county residents engaged in
healthy habits. Previously, Angelica was a County Health
Planning Specialist III before being promoted to her current
position in 2018. Angelica’s community service involvement
includes roles as a Board Trustee for the Learning and Loving
Education Center in Morgan Hill, and a Board member of
Leadership Morgan Hill (Class of 2015). The Learning and
Loving Center was established in 1994 to teach skills, foster
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
hopes, and provide direction to adult immigrant women and
their children who reside in low and extremely low-income
areas which are home to a high concentration of isolated,
marginalized, illiterate and underserved women and children.
Through their programs, women can gain the confi dence they
need to overcome the many barriers to self-reliance that they
face. Leadership Morgan Hill was founded in 1995. It is a
training and development program created to inspire future
leaders to community service. It is a nine-month leadership
program designed to provide participants with in-depth
knowledge of the local political, economic and government
structures of the community. Angelica, a Morgan Hill native,
lives with her husband Jorge Ortega and their two children:
Mateo, age 6; and Santiago, age 3.
WINTER 2020
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