Board of Directors

Karen Diaz

Former Board Member

Karen Diaz graduated from Yale College in 1979 with a BA in the History of Art. She completed her MD degree at UT Southwestern Medical School and her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. After 2 years on the faculty of Duke University Medical School, she returned to the Department of OB/Gyn at the UTHSCSA where she is a faculty member in the Gynecology Department. She is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and she is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

She’s been an active Alumni Schools Committee volunteer since 1999 and she’s served on the board of the Yale Club of South Texas since 2006. For the past 10 years, she has chaired the Yale Book Award. This past spring, 19 schools in South Texas participated in the annual award which recognizes talented juniors for their academic excellence, outstanding leadership abilities and dedication to service. Alumni throughout the region offer financial support as well as making time to present the award to the student on their high school campus.

It was through the Yale Day of Service program that Diaz became involved with the YAA at the University level. In 2011, fellow YLAN member David Sanchez recruited her to organize DOS efforts among the Yale World Fellows. She continued working with the International DOS team until 2018.

She was elected by fellow Assembly Delegates to the YAA Board of Governors in 2012 and completed her term in 2015. She concentrated on improving opportunities for members of the military veterans community. She was also a voice for those alumni in the smaller constituencies and the hinterlands. During her BOG tenure, Diaz worked with her US Congressman to establish a pipeline for Yale alumni in Congress to offer internship opportunities to Yale students.

Diaz is on a mission to increase educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged high school students in San Antonio. Working with college readiness counselors in the SAISD, she organizes interview workshops for juniors and seniors. Many members of the SA Ivy+ community invest their time and experience to help high school students practice their skills in an instructive interview situation.

Her local community involvement has included serving on the Executive Committee of the San Antonio Zoological Society, the boards of the YMCA, Opera San Antonio, San Antonio Academy, San Antonio Library Foundation, Magik Children’s Theatre, San Antonio Botanical Society, and President of the Board of the San Antonio Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Higher education leadership roles include Chair of the Scholarship Committee of the UTHSCSA School of Nursing Advisory Council, Chair of the Scholarship Committee of the  UTHSCSA Committee on Excellence in Women’s Health, and the Chair of the Scholarship Committee of the Pan American Round Table. She’s also served as a Trustee of the Southwest School of Art and was the inaugural chair of the Bard College Parent Advisory Committee.