Design Program Manager
Lusmaia
Diaz
Designing for activation.
I build the conditions where people and products can actually move.
Come inI didn't come to design
through a traditional path.
I came through communities.
I'm an Afro-Latinx Dominican New Yorker. First-generation American. First-generation college graduate. English language learner. I started in social entrepreneurship, moved through education, and landed in design program management — and what connects all of it is a single belief: that the most important design work is building the conditions where everyone can do their best.
I call this designing for activation. I'm not here to manage timelines. I'm here to make things — and people — actually move.
What I believe
-
Psychological safety
The work is better when the room is fuller. I build spaces where every voice has a designed moment to land.
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Trust through vulnerability
You can't build trust without real moments. I start every room with one.
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Equitable practice
Not as a stated value — as structural commitment. Built into how meetings run, how feedback flows, how credit lands.
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Clarity before speed
Things built without foundation have to be rebuilt. I insist on getting it right before going fast.
10 years.
One throughline.
Program Lead, Education Modernization
Co-created a program introducing underrepresented students to computer science through VR. Managed five university events in Arkansas, delivered programming to 5,000+ high school students, and built partnerships with state education leaders.
IDEO
Program Manager, Design Researcher & Facilitator
Led bilingual design research for international education clients, including work with Panama’s federal education department. Facilitated design thinking workshops for 500+ community members. Managed a national network of 10 community managers and produced content reaching 10,000+ people.
Lyft
Design Program Manager & UX Researcher
Managed design initiatives from concept to launch. Led Lyft’s first bilingual driver research effort, bringing immigrant driver perspectives into product decisions. Founded Casual Collisions — a remote connection program during the pandemic. Led equity and inclusion programming for a 150+ person product design org.
Block, Inc.
Lead Design Program Manager
Built program infrastructure, culture, and shared language for a cross-functional initiative connecting Square sellers and Cash App users for the first time. Created go/hoodhub — central hub for 200+ people. Launched team rituals, AI-enabled onboarding workflows, and co-designed Design Week for the Cash App design org over two years.
Most recentNot skills I'd just claim.
Qualities colleagues named.
These are superpowers built over ten years across every role, every team, and every challenge I've navigated — named not by me, but by the people I've worked alongside.
Strategic Thinking
Ten years across Facebook, IDEO, Lyft, and Block have sharpened my ability to see around corners — spotting patterns before they become problems and translating ambiguity into direction. I surface dependencies early and keep priorities visible so teams always know what matters and why.
"Lusmaia quickly established herself and rose through the ranks, earning recognition through sheer impact and leadership presence."— Ricky Richards, Principal Product Designer, Block
Operational Excellence
Over ten years I’ve built operating infrastructure from scratch — planning rhythms, documentation systems, and automation — in organizations that didn’t have them yet. I raise execution quality while reducing the manual lift that slows teams down.
"She possesses a remarkable ability to coordinate complex projects, ensuring that all aspects are meticulously planned and executed to achieve the desired outcomes."— Brian Ng, Head of Product Design, Research & Edu, Lyft
Communication & Influence
A decade of cross-functional work has taught me that alignment is earned, not assumed. I synthesize decisions into shared artifacts, follow up to confirm understanding, and run workshops that turn competing perspectives into collective clarity.
"She synthesized decisions in shared docs and followed up to confirm understanding, which kept things moving without adding noise."— Mackenzie Pringle, Designer, Block
Human-Centered Leadership
My work has always been grounded in people — especially those who are too often left out of the design process. Ten years of centering underrepresented communities has sharpened both my empathy and my ability to build the psychological safety that makes honest work possible.
"She leads with both sharp thinking and deep care. She makes space for voices that might otherwise go unheard."— Jess del Rio, Designer, Block
Collaboration & Team Building
Building great teams is a practice, not a perk — and over ten years I’ve made it my discipline. I create the rituals, the space, and the conditions that turn a group of individuals into a culture people want to be part of.
"Every weekly ritual we have was her doing: her insistence, her background work, her facilitating. She made it accessible and safe."— Tyler Reinhard, Design Director, Block
Execution & Delivery
Delivering at scale means connecting strategy to disciplined action — and doing it consistently, even when the stakes are highest. Over ten years I’ve led complex, cross-functional initiatives from kickoff to completion, coordinating across teams and companies without losing momentum.
"Lusmaia brings a positive, can-do energy to everything she tackles. She is comfortable moving quickly to get fast answers when needed, or tackling more complex and ambiguous projects."— Alison Marlin, UX Research, Lyft
What I bring.
And what drives me.
Core Skills
- Design Program Management
- UX Operations
- Cross-Functional Program Delivery
- Stakeholder Management
- Strategic Planning & Roadmapping
- Risk Identification & Mitigation
- Design Process Improvement
- Qualitative User Research
- Equitable Research Practices
Methods & Practices
- Workshop Facilitation
- Service Design
- Community-Centered Design
- Executive Communications
- Program Design
- Team Rituals & Operating Models
- Bilingual Research (English & Spanish)
- AI-Enabled Workflow Design
- Design Thinking
Passions
- Community-centered design and social impact
- Music — I have a soundtrack for every emotion and every journey. Always playing, always feeling.
- Solo travel — I learn the most about myself when I get lost in cities I’ve never been to. The disorientation is the point.
- Languages — on a mission to speak six fluently. Currently deep in Portuguese and Italian at the same time.
- Bilingual education and language access
- Psychological safety as a design principle
- Building cultures where everyone can do their best work
- Immigrant stories and first-gen experiences
- New York City — always
Languages
Goal: fluent in 6. Currently at 4 and counting.
The work,
up close.
Detailed case studies from Block, Lyft, IDEO, and Facebook are in progress. Each one tells the story of a messy, ambiguous problem — and what I built to move it forward.
Neighborhoods: Building a Third Pillar
How I built the program infrastructure, culture, and operating model for an initiative that connected Square and Cash App for the first time — growing from 15 to 200+ people.
Coming soonBilingual Research & Equity Programming
Leading Lyft's first bilingual driver research and building equity and inclusion programming for a 150+ person product design organization.
Coming soonDesign for Learning in Panama
Bilingual design research and facilitation with the federal education department of Panama, plus community-centered design work reaching 10,000+ people.
Coming soonLet's find out
if we're a match.
I'm looking for a team that moves with intention — where design operations is understood as cultural work, not just logistics. If that sounds like your organization, I'd love to talk.
lusmaia.diaz@gmail.com