Lien Diaz is a founding director of the Constellations Center for Equity in Computing at Georgia Tech. Bringing an essential core foundation of equity in access and opportunity to computer science education, her role as Director of Educational Innovation and Leadership helps establish the Constellations Center as a leader in expanding computer science education through an equitable and comprehensive approach in national/international, state, and local education systems.
Her professional experiences span over twenty years focusing on STEM and CS education. She was a Principal Investigator on the Broadening Participation in Computer Science Collaborative Research grant funded by the National Science Foundation to develop the new Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles course resulting in over 50K students enrolling in the course in its inception and making it the largest course launch in the history of the AP Program. Lien is a former classroom teacher implementing cutting-edge math and science curricula and pedagogy to engage students in high-quality learning experiences in the classroom. She worked with the Urban Systemic Program and the Mathematics and Science Partnership as a mentor and staff developer where she developed and facilitated professional development, both classroom-based and at scale with teachers, administrators, and local and state leaders, and raised achievement levels in low resource schools.
As a CS and STEM ed crusader, Lien’s work is motivated by challenging the status quo to change perspectives of CS education and make transparent the educational issues that must be addressed to obtain equity in school systems across the country. She formed a cadre of secondary and post-secondary educators to integrate instructional practices in national professional development efforts that ensure higher levels of engagement and success in CS classrooms. She firmly believes that equity must be at the heart of collaborative efforts to overcome socio-economic barriers and issues of race, gender, and identity that persist in education.
Lien obtained a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas at El Paso and an M. Ed. in Mathematics from Texas State University. She lives in the Atlanta metropolitan area with her husband, Leroy, and is a mother of four children, Justice Adonis, Adelina Liberty, Alana Freedom, and Aleah America.
