Karla Reyes Diaz

Prior to her selection as a National Urban Fellow, Karla Reyes Diaz was a management consultant at Accenture, where she worked across public sector transformation initiatives with a focus on health and human services. Most recently, she supported a Southern State’s Department of Health and Human Services in its Medicaid transformation from fee-for-service to managed care. In this role, Karla served as a key liaison across state legal, policy, and plan administration teams—streamlining contract processes, ensuring compliance, and helping expand access to care for over 480,000 residents. She also supported this client’s state-wide initiative to improve accessibility, belonging, and competitive integrated employment for professionals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the workplace.

Previously, Karla helped manage a COVID-19 FEMA reimbursement strategy for a Northeast State’s Division of the Budget, overseeing the submission of $84 million in federal relief. She designed and co-authored a deliverable of best practices for emergency grants management, working independently to coordinate across 15 agencies and federal partners. She also developed mobilization plans for commonwealths to unlock delayed FEMA grants in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Raised in the Bronx, New York to a Dominican mother, Karla earned a full scholarship to Columbia University, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in Ethnicity and Race Studies. She was a Dean’s List honoree, and facilitated weekly student-led dialogues on race, equity, and identity as part of ROOTED, an NGO fostering courageous conversations among college students. As an undergraduate, she studied International Relations in Tokyo through Temple University Japan, becoming the first Columbia student to pioneer that program pathway. Karla is also a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), where she completed a 21-day wilderness leadership course in Wyoming on a fully funded scholarship.

Deeply committed to mentorship and community development, Karla has served as a mentor and professional development guide through the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA), organizing site visits and supporting first-generation, consulting-bound students. At Accenture, she also conducted pro-bono work supporting organizations like the Center for Black Educator Development and researching for Merck for Mothers to advance maternal health outcomes.

Through the National Urban Fellows program, Karla hopes to sharpen her strategic assessment and policy analysis skills—particularly in addressing systemic challenges such as disaster recovery, poverty, and racial inequity. She is excited to learn from values-driven leaders, expand her cross-sector experience, and grow into a public servant who leads with vision, rigor, and deep community accountability.