Joseph (Joe) Diaz serves as Melwood’s Chief Growth Officer, overseeing business development, marketing and communications, advocacy, and community engagement functions at the organization. He has more than 25 years of experience in the disability advocacy community, beginning his career in supportive employment services and working his way up to executive leadership.

Joe joins Melwood following his time as Chief Operating Officer of Didlake Inc., a nonprofit that connects people with disabilities to employment and community engagement opportunities. In this role, he was responsible for the strategic oversight of all revenue-generating business units and diversifying revenue streams. Prior to joining Didlake, he served as Senior Vice President of Operations for SourceAmerica and Executive Director for SourceAmerica’s East Region.

Recently named one of the Top 100 COOs by Alumni Spotlight magazine, Joe also holds a master’s degree in social work from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rowan University. He also holds a Master Certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University, and a Master Certificate in government contracting from Villanova University. Joe has also attended the prestigious Harvard Executive Leadership Program for Advanced Negotiations training.

Joe is a board member for Virginia Career Works-Northern Region, a graduate of Leadership PwC, and a member of the Lead Virginia program.

He resides in Gainesville, Virginia, with his wife and daughter. He enjoys reading, hiking with his family in his spare time and going to the gym.