Kellogg students named to DiversityMBA’s Top 100 Executive & Emerging Leaders

Fernando Diaz, Edgar Delgado and Karlo Young were all recently honored in DiversityMBA’s Top 100 Under 50 Executive & Emerging Leaders.

The Top 100 Under 50 is DiversityMBA Magazine’s spotlight on diverse entrepreneurs and leaders from Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit agencies. The honorees were chosen from a pool of 300 nominees.

Fernando Diaz ’15 (EMP 94) is the director of College Savings for the Illinois State Treasurer. He leads the state’s efforts to assist families saving for their child’s education, managing a savings program valued at $7.5 billion.

Throughout his career, he has worked to provide tens of thousands of students better access to higher education, particularly Hispanic students. He credits Kellogg with helping him broaden his impact.

“Personally, I have grown through the wonderful relationships that were nurtured during my two years at Kellogg, including my time at WHU and Miami,” Diaz said. “Kellogg has prepared me to tackle the tough fiscal problems of the state.”

Karlo Young and Edgar Delgado are both current students in the EMP 98 cohort.

Young is an investment banker with Signal Hill Capital and the former president of the Baltimore Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA). He is still very active in NABA and currently serves as a committee chair for the NABA Eastern Region Student Conference. In addition to his NABA responsibilities, Young is the co-director of the Gilman Black Alumni Leadership Institute (GBALI), a yearlong leadership and exposure program that connects promising minority high school students with adult mentors who offer information about their careers, higher education choices and other life decisions.

“During my time at Kellogg, I have gained a broader view of management and business topics to prepare for the next level, Young said. “Being around a world-class group of faculty and classmates adds polish to how one thinks about the world and how to approach solving difficult problems.”

Delgado, a decorated veteran of the United States Air Force, serves as a contracting officer at the General Services Administration, where he manages a portfolio of Federal Government contracts in the Chicagoland area. He was appointed to the Illinois Vets Cash Committee, served on the Illinois Veteran Advisory Council and played an active role with the Student Veterans of America.

“Since starting Kellogg, I approach work situations differently,” Delgado said. “When I take on a new task, I try to incorporate everything I have learned at Kellogg. I try to find a class lesson or classmate conversation that could help me complete the task more efficiently.”

In addition to Young, Delgado and Diaz, DiversityMBA honored Part-Time Program alumnus Hardmon Williams III ’03.