Lisa Diaz

Lisa Diaz is the managing partner and founder of Turf Advisory, a business development advisory firm focused on bridging the public and private sectors to advance smart city solutions and urban infrastructure. Diaz has established a niche in the construction and smart infrastructure industry, particularly in modernizing vertical transportation procurement through AI-driven technology. As founder of Turf Elevate and Turf Advisory, she leads initiatives to enhance procurement processes and expand the adoption of smart infrastructure in urban environments. Turf Elevate is recognized as the only WBE-certified supplier of its kind in New York State.

Diaz oversees business development and manages partnerships with organizations such as AWS Marketplace, Rubicon Global, The Trust for Public Land, Philips Lighting, Bronx Pro, and Save the Sound. Turf Advisory collaborates with construction technology companies to develop go-to-market strategies, marketing narratives, and capital-raising efforts, and partners with technology and construction firms globally to introduce innovative solutions to the U.S. market. Diaz identifies opportunities to leverage smart cities technologies to improve project quality and efficiency.

Before focusing on urban innovation, Diaz built a career in finance on Wall Street. She previously served as CEO of Prince Street Capital Management, an emerging markets asset management company, and as managing director at Goldman Sachs, where she worked for more than two decades. At Goldman Sachs, Diaz led the Communications, Media and Telecoms sector sales team and managed relationships with sovereign wealth funds, global hedge funds, and mutual fund complexes. Her experience spans capital markets, research, and prime brokerage across the capital structure and international markets.

Diaz is recognized for her expertise in smart infrastructure and urban innovation. She serves as the Smart Infrastructure Executive-in-Residence at the Baker Program in Real Estate at Cornell University and as a guest lecturer at Cornell Tech. Diaz is a board member of MIT Delta V and is among a select group of women to complete the Vertical Transportation Management Program, reflecting her commitment to the elevator industry. Her civic involvement includes serving as a committee chair for the Westchester Climate Crisis Taskforce, a member of the steering committee of NY Blue Tech, a member of the Smart Cities NY Advisory Board, and participation in the NYCSBS MWBE Construction Mentorship Program and the Women's Builders Council. Through her work, Diaz contributes to the advancement of equitable, resilient, and technologically advanced urban environments.