DLN Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Diaz-Griffith

It is with great pleasure and excitement that we announce the appointment of our own Michael Diaz-Griffith as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the DLN. Please see below for a formal announcement from DLN Founder Peter Sallick:

DLN Community,

The Design Leadership Network has never been stronger, more committed to the quality of our membership and programs, and better equipped to invest in the future of our community than it is today. A significant amount of credit for this evolution is the work Michael has done over the two years since he joined us as Executive Director and COO in early 2022.

It is against this backdrop that I ask you to join me in recognizing his work and congratulate him on his new role as Executive Director and CEO of the Design Leadership Network. Michael’s elevation to CEO reflects my commitment, as the DLN’s Founder, to supporting all of you with the strongest possible leadership of our organization, supporting Michael as a strong leader within the design community-at-large, and practicing what we preach about developing the future leaders of our firms.

Michael and I share common purpose in elevating the DLN’s focus on our core mission of education, inspiration, and connection for and among our Members and Partners. When we meet, our conversations always focus on that exciting intersection of ideas for improving the quality of our current programs and ideas for creating new ones that keep our organization fresh and relevant. It’s easier to focus on what we have to do today, or it’s easier to dream of what we can do in the future. The hard part for a leader, in my experience, is finding the balance that creates great experiences today and also looks to the future. Michael is very clear about shaping this difficult balancing act, patiently working on what we have to do today and also setting up what’s next.

I hope that Michael’s new role provides you further confidence in the DLN’s future and encourages you to become even more engaged in our programs and opportunities. The best is yet to come.

Peter Sallick
Founder
Design Leadership Network