Important News and Announcements

February 21, 2012, CA – Former SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Inc) National President and current Chair of the SHPE Foundation, was promoted to California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Deputy District Director of Operations overseeing a staff of more than 380 people in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. In her new position, Ms Gomez will be responsible for the planning, organizing and directing of activities for the Caltrans Operations Division. She will oversee the operation of one of our nation’s highest congested freeway network. This appointment makes Gomez the highest ranking Latina Electrical Engineer at Caltrans. “I am very proud of this career achievement, especially because it is right in line with my personal commitment and our department goal to enlist more Latina engineers at Caltrans,” beamed the department veteran.

A long-time employee of Caltrans, Ms. Gomez has held various positions in the Department since 1988, most recently as the Chief for the Office of System Management Operations a post she has held since 2007. A valued member of the Caltrans team, Diana Gomez will also be responsible for the development, direction and implementation of policies and procedures to ultimately improve mobility across California.

In 2005, Ms. Gomez was named in Hispanic Business magazine as “100 Most Influential Hispanics” for her role as National President of SHPE, a professional organization that serves as the source for quality Hispanic engineers and technical talent. Gomez’s history with the SHPE spans more than 20 years. As the SHPE National President, she developed an array of programs and also reorganized the organization to include the creation of a CEO position. Under her leadership, SHPE grew in membership, partnerships, chapters and sponsorship. Currently, Gomez is the Chair of the SHPE Foundation, formally known as the Advancing Hispanic Excellence in Technology, Engineering, Math and Science (AHETEMS) Foundation, the educational foundation for SHPE.

Ms. Gomez earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at California State University, Fresno. During her time at CSU, Gomez was president of the SHPE student chapter and the president of the professional chapter upon graduation; and is currently a board member for the Alumni Association and on the Advisory Board for the School of Engineering at CSU Fresno. Ms. Gomez also serves her community by speaking at local high schools, encouraging young Hispanics to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and higher education.