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Sharon Diaz

1942 – 2021

American nurse and university president

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About Sharon Diaz

Lived 1942 – 2021 (aged 78–79). Sharon Diaz was an academic and nurse.

Sharon Clark Diaz (July 29, 1946 – September 12, 2021) was an American nurse, healthcare administrator, and university president best known for her transformative leadership of Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, California. Serving as president from 1981 to 2018, Diaz guided the institution’s evolution from a small hospital-affiliated nursing school into a fully accredited health sciences university offering graduate and doctoral degrees across nursing, podiatric medicine, occupational therapy, and more.

Under her 36-year tenure, one of the longest in U.S. higher education at the time, Samuel Merritt dramatically expanded its academic offerings, campus footprint, and student body. Diaz was widely recognized for her advocacy of healthcare education rooted in service and community engagement, and her legacy includes the university’s expanded role in addressing workforce gaps in California’s health sector.

Early life Diaz was born as Sharon Clark on July 29, 1946, to Karl and Mildred (Lunn) Clark in Bakersfield, California. She attended San Jose State University, where she met her future husband Luis F. Diaz, then a mechanical engineering student. They were married in 1968, the same year that Sharon earned her bachelor's degree in nursing and became a registered nurse.

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Important facts

Born
1942
Birth century
Died
2021
Occupation

People in Sharon Diaz's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Sharon Diaz's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Sharon Diaz?

American nurse and university president (1981–2021)

When was Sharon Diaz born?

Sharon Diaz was born in 1942.

When did Sharon Diaz die?

Sharon Diaz died in 2021.

What was Sharon Diaz's occupation?

Sharon Diaz was an academic and nurse.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Sharon Diaz

· Wikidata: Q138160478

· DBpedia: Sharon Diaz

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Sharon Diaz. https://biography.guide/sharon-diaz/

MLA: "Sharon Diaz." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/sharon-diaz/.

Chicago: "Sharon Diaz." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/sharon-diaz/.

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