ANIZDA Board of Directors

Prior to joining ANIZDA he held a variety of positions in both the public and private sectors including serving as Executive Director of Pottstown Area Industrial Development, Inc.; Senior Manager in the state and local tax practice of Ernst & Young, LLP; Vice President of Operations for the Allentown Economic Development Corporation; Executive Director of the Allentown Commercial and Industrial Development Authority; Vice President/Special Projects at the New Castle County (DE) Economic Development Corporation; and Economic Development Specialist for the City of Reading, PA. He began his career as a commercial real estate salesman.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Business Administration from Ursinus College and earned a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Delaware.

Previously he worked at PPL Electric Utilities as a Project Manager in the Nuclear Department and for Design and Project Engineers in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Mr. Diaz also serves on the Board of Directors of Sacred Heart Hospital, Hispanic American Organization, Allentown Chamber of Commerce and was appointed to the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs by Governors Corbett and Wolf. Nelson was awarded the “Good Turn Award” by the Minsi Trails Council Boy Scouts of America for establishing an educational partnership between PPL Electric Utilities and Allentown’s inner-city schools.

He is a leader in LGBT health advocacy with a decade-long history of working for LGBT legal, social and health equity.

Prior to founding Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, he served as President of Equality Pennsylvania.  Governor Tom Wolf appointed him to serve in two capacities in his administration, as a Commissioner on the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs and as a Commissioner on the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

He is currently a member of ACLU of Pennsylvania’s Board of Directors and the Board of the Non-Profit & Business partners Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.

He holds a BA. cum laude, in Political Science and Religion Studies at Muhlenberg College and a Graduate Certificate in LGBT Health Policy & Practice from the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences at the George Washington University.

In his role, he was responsible for the company’s Law, Corporate Secretary, Corporate Risk, Information Technology, Global Business Support Services, Human Resources, Communications, Government Relations, Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Security functions.  He also served as the company’s chief compliance officer.  

Prior to joining Air Products, he served as a federal judicial clerk with the Honorable Norma Shapiro and practiced employment law at Drinker, Biddle and Reath in Philadelphia.  

He is a member of the Board of Trustees at De Sales University, Lehigh Valley Health Network and the Community Music School Endowment Fund.  He also serves on the boards of directors of the Lehigh Valley Partnership and Lehigh Valley Industrial Park.   In addition, he chairs the Advisory Council for Building 21.  

He holds a B.A degree in History from Lafayette College and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.