Ralph Diaz
Secretary, California DOC
Sacramento, CA.

Ralph Diaz was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom as Secretary for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) on March 27, 2019. Most recently, he served as Undersecretary of Operations, Deputy Director of Facility Operations, and Associate Director of High Security Institutions. Before that, Mr. Diaz served as a prison Warden, Correctional Counselor Supervisor, and Correctional Counselor, after starting his career as a Correctional Officer in 1991.

Mr. Diaz has the honor and privilege to lead over 60,000 of the nation’s finest correctional professionals, who provide outstanding levels of rehabilitative services to the offenders in our care.

With more than 29 years of diverse correctional experience, Mr. Diaz has seen first-hand how restorative justice practices can transform communities inside and outside prison walls. He believes in a holistic approach to corrections that offers a variety of educational, vocational, and therapeutic programs to offenders while also stressing individual accountability and respecting and honoring victims of crime.

Mr. Diaz has been instrumental in developing policies focused on staff well-being and professional development, while empowering them to serve as role models and mentors to all.