Nelson Diaz

Nelson Diaz (born 1948) is a United States lawyer who has been a Philadelphia city solicitor, a judge on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, and General Counsel at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He was mentioned as a possible HUD secretary in the Obama administration, before Obama announced that Shaun Donovan was his pick for the position. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the 2015 election.

Education

Diaz grew up in public housing in Harlem, New York. He graduated from St. John's University in New York City with a B.S. in accounting in 1969, having worked his way through school. He earned a Juris Doctor from Temple University in 1972 – "he was the first Puerto Rican at Temple to receive a Juris Doctor ...".

Public service Diaz served as a special assistant to Vice President Walter Mondale on a White House Fellowship in 1977.

On October 27, 2016, Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro García Padilla, appointed Díaz as a member of the new board of directors of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. As a recess appointment, he may take office immediately but must receive the advice and consent of the Senate of Puerto Rico in order to serve a full term.

Non-profit memberships and community involvement

Diaz founded the first organization devoted to black and Hispanic law students at Temple University while he was a student there, and he has been a member of Temple's Board of Trustees since 1992. Having been the first Puerto Rican to be admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar Association in 1973, he later succeeded Cesar R. Miranda as executive director for the Spanish Merchants Association of Philadelphia, a self-help group for Hispanics who own or aspire to own businesses. His board and committee memberships include the Free Library of Philadelphia (1982–1993), the Philadelphia Independent Charter Commission (1992–1993), and the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia (1997–2002), and the Pan American Association (2001– ).