Mayfield Welcomes New Director of Development Lela Diaz

Mayfield was thrilled when seasoned fundraiser Lela Diaz accepted the role of Director of Development in early 2020, after longtime department head Angela Howell ’76 was promoted to Associate Head of School for Strategic Initiatives. Most recently Vice President for Advancement at Loyola High School, Lela has led fundraising efforts both nationally and globally, working with a variety of organizations including Feeding America, the Nature Conservancy, Education Above All and Access Living. Lela earned her B.A. in international relations from USC and her Master’s Certificate in philanthropy from Loyola University Chicago.

When it comes to the school’s sustainability and future-focused fundraising initiatives, Angela and Lela will work in partnership with Head of School Kate Morin to ensure that Mayfield continues to garner the necessary financial resources to support the school’s needs for generations to come.

A Mayfield education is such a treasure, and I am honored to work on behalf of our students and faculty.

— LELA DIAZ

“I am thrilled to be joining Kate, Angela and the entire team as we look to continue to push ourselves forward and shape the future of Mayfield Senior School through the incredible support of our generous community,” Lela said. “A Mayfield education is such a treasure, and I am honored to work on behalf of our students and faculty.”

Lela also brings a personal connection to Mayfield through her alumnae sisters-in-law, Jacqueline DeHoney ’02 and Allison DeHoney Najoan ’04. A fourth-generation native of Southern California, Lela lives in Pasadena with her husband, Colin DeHoney.

Meet Lela

What was your first experience of Mayfield?

When I met my husband, Colin DeHoney, at USC, his younger sisters [Jacqueline ’02 and Allison ’04] were students at Mayfield. I went to Mayfield volleyball games and graduations! So I’ve always known Mayfield intimately through them.

How did you get involved in philanthropy and fundraising?

Being very involved in my youth group at church [Our Lady of the Assumption in Ventura] made me realize there was a bigger world out there. Giving back is part of our family’s Catholic faith, very much core to who we are. I was exposed to the nonprofit world at USC, and saw that it required volunteers to rally together to make things happen. Coming out of college I knew I was going into something that would make the world a better place, whatever that might be. Right after I graduated, I moved to Costa Rica for a service project, very much boots on the ground—digging trenches, teaching classes, serving the homeless, doing whatever was needed. I loved it. I found my passion in helping others and giving back and doing mission-oriented work.

What made you return to your SoCal roots?

We had been living in Chicago, and I had been advising clients all over the world on large-scale fundraising initiatives. I decided I wanted to work with something I could see the impact of a little closer—to see something a little more tangible from it. I had been working in education on a global scale, so I was attracted to working at a school. The job at Loyola (my husband’s alma mater!) came up and it was just one of those serendipitous things. So we bought a home here in Pasadena, where Colin grew up, and we really love the community.

What brought you to Mayfield?

Through my work at Loyola, I was able to get to know Angela Howell because we shared similar roles at two different institutions. We would meet and talk and share best practices—we were good collaborators. Angela was actually the first one to reach out to me to see if I’d be interested in the Director of Development position! Now we are working very closely together as she transfers over many of her duties, and we will be collaborating on some very important fundraising initiatives as we move forward.

What do you want to accomplish at Mayfield?

I did a program called “Leadership Women” that helps women become leaders and really find themselves in whatever career path that they’re meant to be in. So the idea of working at a place where I could really directly impact that, not only by being a leader on campus, but by raising financial resources to help this institution accomplish its goals, and ultimately help young women? That is really motivating to me. If we just can create more people like the young women who come out of this school, only good things will come from that!