Dr. Ivonne Diaz-Claisse Honored with the Women of Achievement Award by the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber’s Women in Business Alliance
On June 25, 2025, HISPA’s CEO, Dr. Ivonne Diaz-Claisse, was honored with the Women of Achievement Award by the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber’s Women in Business Alliance. Since its inception in 2013, this prestigious award has recognized 48 remarkable women for their outstanding leadership and impact in our business and community sectors, each having made a substantial contribution to the growth, health, and vibrancy of our region.
Dr. Díaz-Claisse has made a profound difference in the lives of students across the region as the founder and CEO of HISPA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring low-income and underrepresented youth through the power of relatable role models.
Based in Mercer County, HISPA has worked with ten of its K-12 schools, uniting over 1,600 Mercer County middle and high school students with role models since 2021. HISPA has brought these students to the area’s university campuses—including Princeton, the College of New Jersey, and Rider—to learn about local college opportunities, as well as to businesses in the region—like Bank of America, Bloomberg, Bristol Myers Squibb, and ETS—to discover careers and immerse students in corporate environments right in their backyards.
HISPA also provides leadership development to college students at Mercer County Community College and Rider University, connecting them with volunteer opportunities and professional networks in Mercer County. As one participant said of her experience: “Being a part of the program made me feel comfortable and honored to be a Hispanic woman pursuing her dreams…I am immensely grateful for the connections HISPA has given me.”
Since founding HISPA in 2008, she has mobilized over 3,000 professionals to serve as role models, impacting more than 32,000 students nationwide. Her leadership has transformed the way students in Mercer County and beyond view themselves, their potential, and their place in the world.
“You must allow yourself to dream,” Dr. Díaz-Claisse said of the work that led to this great achievement. “Then you must set goals and, even if you are afraid, take action. Ask for help and do not ever give up.”
HISPA is deeply grateful to the many Mercer County partners and supporters who have made our work possible. We thank the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber’s Women in Business Alliance for recognizing Dr. Díaz-Claisse and for championing women’s leadership in our region. Princeton University welcomed HISPA’s very first Youth Conference, Take Action! Achieve Your Dreams, in 2009, beginning an annual collaboration that has lasted 14 years. Bristol Myers Squibb was among the first companies to support the conference by providing dedicated volunteers. ETS generously opened its doors to HISPA for a decade, offering not only a home for our operations but also funding, in-kind support, and expert assistance designing the metrics that continue to help us measure our impact.
The Center for Hispanic Policy Research and Development and the NJ Governor’s Hispanic Fellows Program have been valued collaborators since 2012, supporting the HISPA Leadership Workshops. Thank you to the companies that support these empowering workshops for college students: Rider University, Thomas Edison University, the College of New Jesrey, Bloomberg, Novo Nordisk, and the Princeton Area Community Foundation.
We also thank Bank of America for hosting HISPA events in the region and offering both financial and volunteer support, and Mercer County Community College for its partnership in delivering our HISPA Leaders in College Program.
Additional thanks go to the United Way of Mercer County and the Princeton Area Community Foundation for their generous funding that helps make all of this work possible. Together, our Mercer County community has built a powerful ecosystem of support that uplifts, educates, and inspires the next generation of leaders.
HISPA programs are possible thanks to our 2024-25 Founding Partner Verizon, Co-founding Partners and Supporters Merck, Bloomberg, the Delta Dental Foundation, and PSEG, and Annual Partners Amazon, Bank of America, Bristol Myers Squibb, ETS, Prudential Financial, and Visa. HISPA is a UnidosUS affiliate.
About the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce
The Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber is the largest and oldest regional chamber of commerce in the State of New Jersey. New Jersey’s first Chamber of Commerce was established in 1868 and consisted of 200 companies at the time. Over the next 150 years, this Chamber would take on many new names and iterations, including the Mercer Chamber of Commerce, and grow to a membership of over 1000 companies.
In 1960, the “Chamber of Commerce of the Princeton Area” was established as a group of roughly 20 members. Sixty years later, that organization had grown to be the largest regional Chamber of Commerce in the State as the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. Recognizing the unique character and history of each association, the State’s oldest Chamber and largest Chamber joined forces. In 2019, the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber was established.
About the Women in Business Alliance
The Women in Business Alliance promotes an environment for business women to connect and build relationships focusing on professional development and growth, collaboration with business and community leaders, and advocacy for women’s issues. WIBA hosts events throughout the year that bring together strong female business and community leaders throughout the region, including networking events, panel discussions, and their signature Women of Achievement Awards.
