Ricky Diaz
Managing Director
With a proven track record spanning 15 years in corporate communications, public relations and politics, Ricky Diaz is trusted by companies navigating challenging scenarios and shifting stakeholder, regulatory and media landscapes. Prior to joining Joele Frank, Ricky built the crisis communications and issues management function at Vanguard, one of the largest asset managers in the world with more than 50 million investors worldwide. In this role, he served on the firm’s global communications leadership team and worked closely with the management team to prepare for and respond to a range of sensitive matters, emerging issues and public affairs challenges.
Ricky previously held senior roles at Edelman and was a senior communications aide to two governors in both government and campaign roles. As vice president of a leading Washington, D.C. political consulting firm, he also produced winning advertising campaigns for hotly contested gubernatorial, congressional and senatorial campaigns across the country.
Credentials
Ricky is a New Jersey native and graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Economics and East Asian Studies.
Recent Highlights
Select Experience
Crisis Communications and Preparedness
Ricky specializes in helping companies manage reputation risk and high-profile situations such as boycotts, cyber security and privacy incidents, geopolitical events, societal issues, misinformation campaigns and unexpected events. He is skilled at helping companies spot vulnerabilities and create playbooks, trainings and preparedness plans to guard against potential threats to their reputations.
Corporate and Financial Communications
Ricky develops tailored communications strategies that build trust between companies and their most important stakeholder audiences. His experience includes managing internal and external communications for leadership transitions, layoffs, mergers and acquisitions, proxy fights and activism. He routinely presents to CEOs, boards and other C-suite executives on communications strategy and has conducted media training for executives in high-profile situations.
Litigation, Investigations and Regulatory Matters
From Congressional investigations to shareholder lawsuits, Ricky develops communications strategies that support a company's legal position while protecting its reputation. He partners with legal counsel to help companies prepare for important milestones and maximize opportunities to rebuild trust.
Public Affairs, Issues Management and Advocacy
Ricky has developed campaign-style programs to put companies in the driver's seat, reset the debate, forge alliances and reach the decision makers who can influence positive outcomes. He applies a deep understanding of the political landscape with a strong grasp of the media environment to help clients anticipate and stay ahead of emerging issues.
In Conversation
Personal Side
Ricky lives in New Jersey with his wife, two sons and German Shorthaired Pointer, Hunter.