Remembering Sharon Diaz, Founding SMU President

Sharon Diaz, PhD (h.c.), RN, the founding president of Samuel Merritt University who served in that capacity for nearly 36 years before her retirement, died unexpectedly on September 12. She was 75.

President Diaz was the driving force behind much of the University’s growth and expansion into new academic programs. She also led successful efforts to grow the institution from a nursing diploma program to a college (1984) and then a university (2009).

“Only a few weeks ago, I called Sharon and shared the news about our disaffiliation from Sutter Health and the new Oakland campus project,” said SMU President Ching-Hua Wang, MD, PhD. “She was very pleased about these endeavors and wished the best to the University. Sharon had an enormous impact on the University, and her contributions to the University and the communities it serves are unparalleled. We all are beneficiaries of decades of her leadership in developing and growing the University into the well-respected higher educational institution it is today.”

Immediate past chair and current member of the SMU Board of Regents Jonathan Brown said, “I started working with Sharon when I began to work for California’s independent colleges. Sharon had the ability to surprise you. All of a sudden a small, hospital-based nursing program was getting regional accreditation in record time. Suddenly, this independent University began diversifying its degree programs to a wide range of health professions. When I became chair of the SMU Board, we thought about some larger visions, including growing the University, building a new campus in Oakland, and achieving independent status. All of those were well on their way when Sharon retired in 2018. She was a professional of enormous energy and vision.”