MANN APPOINTS SARA MANZANO-DÍAZ TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 15, 2018) – The Mann Center for the Performing Arts announces Sara Manzano-Díaz as the newest member of the board of directors. Manzano-Díaz is the former executive deputy attorney general for the Public Protection Office of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

“We are so fortunate to have such a talented and passionate individual joining the Mann’s board,” said Catherine M. Cahill, President and CEO of the Mann.  “Sara has served her community for many years. She is a relationship builder and has been dedicated to bettering the lives of individuals here in Pennsylvania and across the nation. The Mann will be the beneficiary of her insights and perspective.”

Manzano-Díaz was selected as the executive deputy attorney general for public protection (EDAG) in January 2017 by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. She was responsible for managing 135 employees statewide, in addition to supervising and directing mediations, investigations, and affirmative litigation in Consumer Protection, Antitrust, Charities, Fair Labor, Civil Rights and Special Litigation, Healthcare, and Tobacco Enforcement.

In May 2012, President Barack Obama appointed Manzano-Díaz to serve as regional administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Mid-Atlantic Region. As regional administrator, she served as the executive for the region and led 1,000 employees. She oversaw the government's real estate portfolio and the procurement of goods, services, and information technology for six Mid-Atlantic states, as well as Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. During 2013, she assumed the added responsibility of serving as acting regional administrator for GSA’s Southeast Sunbelt Region which includes eight states.

“I am delighted to join the distinguished and transformational Board of the Mann Center because the performing arts are the heart and spirit of any city, especially Philadelphia,” said Sara Manzano-Díaz.  “The visionary leadership of the Board is bringing positive change and expanding diverse programs for all.”

Manzano-Díaz has spent her career in public service advocating on behalf of working-class families, women, and girls. In 2010, she was nominated by President Obama and was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate as the 16th director of the Women’s Bureau at the United States Department of Labor. The Women’s Bureau was created by Congress in 1920, the same year women were granted the right to vote. It is the only federal agency exclusively mandated to serve and promote the interests of working women. 

As director of the Women’s Bureau, Manzano-Díaz managed 10 regional offices nationwide and advanced the economic security interest of 72 million working women representing nearly half of the U.S. workforce. She focused on equal pay, work-life balance, higher paying jobs for women, corporate board inclusion, family leave, maternity discrimination, access to capital and markets, homeless women veterans, vulnerable workers, entrepreneurship, and domestic violence.

In addition to those roles, Manzano-Díaz served as co-chair of Fort Washington, PA-based The Forum of Executive Women’s Mentoring Committee, which mentors young professional women as they begin their careers, and also participated in Madrinas, a program that provides mentors for at-risk Latina girls to encourage them to finish high school and attend college. 

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About the Mann
As one of the foremost outdoor music centers in the country, the Mann, a leading non-profit organization, has a historical legacy of artistic excellence as a world-class entertainment destination presenting premier artists in association with The Bowery Presents. Each summer season, renowned symphony orchestras, iconic rock stars, and the latest touring artists in indie, rock, hip hop, R&B, and pop take the stage here. The Mann is the summer home of The Philadelphia Orchestra and has presented critically acclaimed performers in every decade since the 1930s. Located in the heart of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, the Mann hosts more than 200,000 visitors annually. Signature concert experiences are surrounded by Philadelphia’s stunning skyline and include seats beneath the Mann’s acoustically acclaimed pavilion; picnics, blankets, and music under the stars on its great lawn; and dining in Crescendo, the venue’s spectacular tented restaurant. For more information, visit www.MannCenter.org.