Student Experience: Iris Diaz

Dallas College alum Iris Diaz didn’t set out to become the first Latina to serve as a chief marketing officer for an NBA franchise. Diaz simply did her job to the best of her abilities. Eventually, that hard work paid off when she was promoted to CMO of the Dallas Mavericks three years ago.

“It was never my goal to be CMO. It just happened,” Diaz said in a recent interview with Dallas College. “My goal was to just do a good job and work hard.”

Now Diaz is seen as an inspiration by many. She’s been invited to serve on a number of panels and is a board member for six different organizations. For her, being a pioneer in a fast-paced, high-demand industry brings more pride than pressure.

“It’s about how we influence the community as a Mavericks employee and I just happen to be the CMO,” she said. “It is important, but it’s also important to tell my story so other Latinas see that these opportunities are available for us. I did become the first, which I wasn’t looking for. It just happened.”

Dallas College Roots Diaz is a first-generation Mexican American, growing up the youngest daughter in a family of six in East Dallas. She attended Woodrow Wilson High School and then headed to The Art Institute of Dallas, dreaming of becoming a graphic designer for People Magazine. It didn’t take long, though, to realize the student loans piling up. So, Diaz transferred to Dallas College’s Eastfield Campus.

“It was either AI (Art Institute) or paying for my car,” Diaz said, laughing. “I had to switch over. I can get the same education, if not better, down the street.”

It worked out. Diaz fondly recalls her community college experience, particularly a psychology class taught by a former law enforcement official.

“One of my favorite professors,” Diaz said. “That class had a history where you didn’t have a lot of kids dropping out. Out of 36 students, you probably had 35 stay in the whole semester. That was one of my favorites and is really where I found out that design may not be the thing for me.”

Diaz spent two and a half years at Eastfield, earning her associate degree. She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree at the University of North Texas where she also played on the women’s tennis team, and later earned a graduate certificate from Southern Methodist University. Diaz wouldn’t change her educational path.

She’s told her nieces and nephews the benefits of starting out at a community college. There shouldn’t be any sort of “stigma” attached to attending a community college.

“To me, it was what I could afford, just because you’re paying less doesn’t mean you’re getting less education,” Diaz said. “But, if I can get an education for less and still advance, it’s a no-brainer. I went on to UNT, then I still went on to graduate at SMU, but none of that education from Dallas College was disqualified. The credits counted 100%.”

Talkin’ Mavs Diaz has what many would consider a dream job, but it wasn’t handed to her. She spent years crafting her marketing expertise with companies such as Albertsons, Al Día (published by The Dallas Morning News), Clear Channel Outdoor and The Richards Group, among others. She always wanted to work in sports and eventually caught her break when she accepted a marketing role with the Mavericks.

Now she’s at the forefront of branding and creating various messages for the Mavericks fandom known as MFFLs (Mavs Fans For Life). She may not be dishing passes to Luka Doncic, but she’s making sure that everyone throughout Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond understands his otherworldly talents.

“Everything that I’ve done for other companies is for the consumer, but it’s really for the business first. For the Mavs, it definitely is for the fan,” Diaz said. “My role is to make sure that we don’t stray away from that vision.”

Given the buzz and excitement surrounding the team, especially coming off a season when the Mavs reached the Western Conference Finals, it’s safe to say that Diaz has kept that vision intact.

For anyone interested in following a similar path, Diaz offered this advice, “Respect everybody,” she said. “Be humble with everything you do.”

Diaz mentioned accepting a marketing coordinator position with the Mavs and, fast forward 14 months, she rose to the CMO position.

“It’s not about ego,” Diaz said. “It’s not about I’m better than anybody else. Respect everybody. You never know where you’re going to end up, you never know where they’re going to end up. There’s a lot of people who probably didn’t answer emails, or didn’t show up to my events, or didn’t respond to things back then, and now they’re knocking on my door. I will still respond, but it’s not because of what I do. It’s because of who I am.

“It’s that attitude. Just because you get a ‘no’ doesn’t mean it’s the end all be all. Trust me, I’ve been there.”

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