Diana Diaz-Harrison nominated to lead OSERS
Where will the developer of charter schools for students with autism help US ED go?
Diana Diaz-Harrison is the nominee for the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary For Special Education and Rehabilitative Services is the US Department of Education. Ms. Diaz-Harrison was a bi-lingual teacher in Los Angeles who became involved in television reporting (including a stint with Univision) and then a corporate communications strategist. She became involved in providing services to children with autism after her son was diagnosed at age two.
In 2013 Ms. Diaz-Harrison founded an organization to create a charter school named Arizona Autism Charter Schools (often abbreviated as AZACS) in Phoenix (AZ, US). She then led the school as it expanded across age levels and online modes of providing educational services. Beyond k-12 educational services for students across the spectrum, AZACS provides transition, adult, and other services.
According to news reports, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon nominated Ms. Diaz-Harrison 25 April 2025. I could find no official announcement on the US ED Web site, but Ms. Diaz-Harrison is listed (as “Diana Diaz”) as acting assistant secretary. As of this date, I have not yet found plans for confirmation hearings in the US Congress.
Early in learning about autism, Ms. Diaz-Harrison worked at Southwest Research and Autism Center, a non-profit noted for conducting research about and promoting multi-age (children, youth, and adults) programming predicated on applied behavior analysis. With Ms. Diaz-Harrison providing leadership, AZACS collaborated with South Florida Autism Charter School to create the National Accelerator of Autism Charter Schools. The organization is devoted to providing a model for organizations, groups, and teams that are establishing programs for individuals with autism.
As one might guess, Ms. Diaz-Harrison is expected to champion school choice for students with disabilities. She will have to do so in the context of functions of US Department of Education’s special education offices being moved to other cabinet-level departments of the government as a part of the closing of the department.
The accompanying video is from 2019. It features Ms. Diaz-Harrison speaking about her work on establishing schools upon receiving the Rosa Carrillo Torres Humanitarian Award.
Read more:
“Arizona autism school founder appointed to role in Trump administration” from Arizona’s Family.
“Founder of AZ charter network to push for more school choice in Trump administration role” by Bridget Dowd of KJZZ.
“Secretary McMahon Taps Autism Charter School Founder For Special Education Spot” from the Arizona Independent.
“podcastED: Founder of Arizona charter school for children with autism seeks to take model national” (podcast interview) from Next Steps with Lisa Blue.
“Arizona Autism Charter School Founder Tapped as Ed Dept. Special Education Chief: Diana Diaz-Harrison’s schools use a controversial intervention. She wants to use her new position to help others launch more like them” by Beth Hawkins for The 74.1
Footnote
Readers should note that Ms. Harkins’s article is not straight news reporting; it includes paragraphs of contemporary critique of applied behavior analysis and advocacy associated with neurodivergence advocacy.
Thanks for this update. So does this mean we are not closing the DOE?