Rebekah Diaz (38)
Manager of Community Engagement and IDEA Initiatives, Pittsburgh Opera; Founder and Principal Consultant, Diaz Inclusion Consulting

Whether Rebekah Diaz is working with advisors from Disney Research, Pixar or DreamWorks to create diverse animations of operatic pieces or developing her Cadenza program to help victims of human trafficking, one thing is the same: she’s making opera — and the arts — more accessible for everyone.

As a professional opera singer, Diaz often found herself as one of the only people of color on stage. She decided to do something about it, and all of her roles since have been about working for more equity within the arts.

She’s the Manager of Community Engagement and IDEA Initiatives at Pittsburgh Opera, founder and principal consultant of Diaz Inclusion Consulting, which she started as a way for arts organizations to build more inclusive pathways, and the co-creator of the newly formed Pittsburgh Arts Administrators of Color organization, which connects BIPOC arts professionals for professional development and mentorship.

“I was like, I love this so much more than being on the stage,” she says. “Being on the stage is fun, but this is rewarding.”