Appointment of Vice Chancellor for Lifelong Learning and Innovation

June 9, 2026

Dear Rutgers–New Brunswick Community:

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Angelica M. Diaz-Martinez to the new role of Vice Chancellor for Lifelong Learning and Innovation.

In December, Dr. Diaz-Martinez was appointed to serve as Associate Vice Provost. She was tasked with leading the former Division of Continuing Studies (DoCS), which had reported to the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and overseeing its transition to a new, forward-looking structure reporting to the Rutgers–New Brunswick Chancellor.

Dr. Diaz-Martinez has led that transition with great success, culminating in the creation of the Division of Lifelong Learning and Innovation (LLI) at Rutgers–New Brunswick—and a clear vision for expanding access to education across the learner’s lifespan and strengthening our role as a hub for professional and workforce development.

LLI builds on the long-standing mission of the former DoCS while advancing new models of noncredit and credit-bearing programs, certificates, partnerships, and innovative opportunities designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s learners, from working professionals and adult students to alumni and community members. Under Dr. Diaz-Martinez’s leadership, this work has been grounded in responsiveness to changing workplace and educational landscapes.

At its core, the Division of Lifelong Learning and Innovation exists to expand access to a Rutgers education for learners of all ages and backgrounds. Through flexible online, hybrid, and in-person programs—spanning noncredit courses, professional and workforce certificates, and credit-bearing pathways—LLI will bring the full strength of Rutgers–New Brunswick to learners wherever they are. In partnership with schools, employers, and communities, the Division will deliver responsive, technology-enabled learning that advances workforce development and positions lifelong learning as a central part of the University’s public mission. The new Division’s mission is to support “a Rutgers–New Brunswick where learning has no endpoint and opportunity is open to everyone, at every stage of life.”

Dr. Diaz-Martinez brings deep expertise in higher education leadership, student success innovation, and organizational transformation, along with a demonstrated commitment to access and excellence.  Prior to joining Rutgers in 2017, she held senior leadership roles in both clinical and educational settings, including serving as Senior Vice President for Operations and Interim CEO/President of Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey, now known as Pillar Care Continuum. In these leadership roles, she led strategic planning, oversaw multimillion-dollar budgets, and guided successful federal, state, and national accreditation efforts. She has directed counseling, psychological, and disability services at Stevens Institute of Technology; led the counseling department at The Pingry School; and built a record of scholarship and clinical innovation through faculty and supervisory positions at the former UMDNJ–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Her experience also includes extensive service to the State of New Jersey through the Civil Service Commission’s Medical Review Panel, where she has served as Chairperson since 2006. A bilingual licensed psychologist in New Jersey and New York, Dr. Diaz-Martinez has more than two decades of clinical practice, program development, and workforce leadership.

Please join me in congratulating Vice Chancellor Diaz-Martinez and in supporting the continued success of the Division of Lifelong Learning and Innovation.

Sincerely,

Francine Conway, Ph.D.
Chancellor and Distinguished Professor
Rutgers University–New Brunswick