Leadership Spotlight – Diana Cuevas
Thursday, September 10, 2020
by: Michele Ignacio

Section: Leadership Spotlight




Diana Cuevas grew up in San Diego and attended San Diego State University, earning her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis on marketing. She has been a part of the Securitas USA organization for 12 years. For the past 11 years, she served as San Diego’s Business Development Manager for her company.  Late last year, she moved on from that role and is currently working to expand the marketing efforts of Securitas within local industry associations like BOMA San Diego!
 
A fun fact about Diana is that she met her husband, Jeff Niles, while attending the 2009 BOMA Gala.  He was a fellow Associate member at the time, and they hit it off! They married and have two children – Aston and Ariella.
 
In BOMA, Diana’s leadership at the committee and the board level is extensive!  She has been vice chair of Community Service, chair of Awards & Scholarships, and currently runs both the Sponsorship and Emergency Preparedness & Sustainability Committees. Diana also served on the BOMA San Diego Board of Directors for a couple of years. In 2016, she received the Associate Member of the Year award.
 
Read below to learn more about Diana and her climb up the leadership ladder:
 
BOMA San Diego:  How would you describe your leadership style?
 
Diana:  I’d like to think of myself as a strategic leader now. I like to evaluate the main operations of a committee and focus on how we can use this to grow/improve its opportunities and goals. I lean on other members strengths to help the committee meet its goals while encouraging everyone to participate. When I first took a leadership role in BOMA, I had more of an authoritative style and wanted complete control overseeing all the steps taken to reach our committee goals. I learned quickly that it was not efficient. We have awesome members who bring so many innovative ideas.
 
BOMA San Diego: What are two things you learned about yourself after taking on many BOMA leadership roles over the years?
 
Diana:  I really learned how to delegate efficiently and organize goals. Delegating is more than just asking committee members for help in executing a task and expecting them to do all the work alone. A leader must be willing to provide committee members with the right tools, previous lessons learned and specific instructions. Supporting members throughout the process and letting them take the lead with new ideas is how I have seen BOMA committees meet and exceed goals!
 
BOMA San Diego: What is the most difficult part about being a leader?
 
Diana:  Having to take the burden of ensuring the committee goals are met and responsibilities of a committee are completed. Often, we delegate responsibilities to other members or even other companies/organizations for support, donations, manpower, etc.  However, if something fails or slips through the cracks, a good leader has to step up and do the work to ensure the goal/responsibilities are met. Depending on what the committee goal is, that could mean staying up late doing reports, setting up an event and breaking down after everyone has left, or collecting boxes from a waste company alone to wrap them after hours for our annual toy drive (true story). These difficulties only improved my leadership skills in the long run. Great lessons are learned – which is why taking leadership roles is so important!
 
BOMA San Diego:  What is your most significant accomplishment as a BOMA leader?
 
Diana:  The best accomplishment (and feeling honestly) is passing the baton over to other amazing committee members who then become great leaders within our organization.
 
BOMA San Diego:  I know you are a fitness master! What is your favorite workout routine (running, Muay Thai, something else)?
 
Diana:  My favorite workout ever is Muay Thai training!  It’s fun and physically the most challenging workout I’ve ever done. But during COVID and lately I have begun to love running and heavy weights. I don’t run too long but I do run fast. Run fast, lift heavy! Highly recommend.
 
BOMA San Diego:  The most important question of them all – who is your favorite Star Wars character of all time? 
 
Diana:  Haha! Rey Skywalker of course!! Girl power. My son was 4 years old when he saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens and he was obsessed with Rey. He dressed up as Rey for Halloween. I was so happy to see him mimic that character the same way he does Spiderman, Batman, and Captain America.