Diane Headley Samuels

Diane Headley Samuels is vice president and chief people officer at the Ford Foundation, where she leads global people and culture strategies, including talent management, organizational development, employee engagement, and benefits. She is known for aligning human resources initiatives with organizational goals to strengthen performance and workplace culture.

With more than 20 years of experience across the philanthropic, public, and private sectors, Samuels began her career at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she spent 13 years and helped launch the organization's first global diversity and inclusion program. She later served as managing director of operations for the New York State Governor's Office of Storm Recovery, overseeing human resources, strategic planning, facilities, and IT operations.

At the Ford Foundation, Samuels has led global HR transformation efforts and advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, including compensation equity reviews that helped address racial and gender pay disparities. A recognized thought leader in HR, she has spoken at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo and contributed to industry discussions on workplace culture, organizational change, and employee experience. She holds a master's degree in human resources management from The New School and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Brooklyn College.