INDUSTRY, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 10/22/12 -- Former Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) President and current SHPE Foundation Chair, Diana L. Gomez, has been appointed by California Governor Jerry Brown as the Central Valley Regional Director of California High-Speed Rail Authority.
Gomez joins an executive management team that will significantly improve the Authority's operations. It will bring high-speed electric passenger operations to California, tying together the Central Valley with the Los Angeles Basin as a first step toward a statewide high-speed rail system.
Most recently, Gomez was Deputy District Director of Operations in Los Angeles, which made her the highest ranking Latina engineer at California Department of Transportation. In 25 years with Caltrans, her contributions include implementing QuickMap, which displays statewide traffic information, and a software tool to track the response to incidents. She also consolidated the Permit Offices and reorganized the Division of Traffic Operations in Los Angeles.
In 2005, Gomez was named one of the "100 Most Influential Hispanics" in Hispanic Business magazine for her role as National President of SHPE. Her history with the SHPE spans more than 20 years. During her years as National President of SHPE, Gomez developed a wide range 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.
Gomez serves her community by speaking at local high schools, encouraging young Hispanics to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and higher education. SHPE CEO Pilar Montoya said she is grateful for Gomez's commitment to the Latino community.
"Diana has led educational programs directed at developing science education, educational enrichment and college awareness initiatives for Latino students," said Montoya. "We appreciate her countless efforts in caring for future Latino youths."
Gomez earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at California State University, Fresno. She is currently a board member for the Alumni Association and on the Advisory Board for the School of Engineering at CSU Fresno.
About SHPE
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1974 by a group of engineers employed by the city of Los Angeles. Their objective was to form a national organization of processional engineers to serve as role models in the Hispanic community. Today, the company's mission is to change lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support and development. SHPE provides a variety of programming and resources including hosting the largest annual technical conference it the nation. For more information, visit www.shpe.org.
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