Santa Maria completes Presidential Leadership Scholar program Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston dean learns from former U.S. presidents
Diane Santa Maria, dean of Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston, is one of 57 scholars from across industries who made up the Presidential Leadership Scholars’ (PLS) 11th annual class. The group learned about leadership from one another and through the lens of the presidential experiences of presidents George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
During the six-month PLS program, which began in January 2026, scholars traveled to each participating presidential center to learn from former presidents, key former administration officials, business and civic leaders, and leading academics. They will now put into practice varying approaches to leadership.
“I am grateful to the PLS program for this inspiring and enriching experience,” said Santa Maria, who met presidents Clinton and George W. Bush. “I plan to use the new skills I learned and the connections I made to address the nursing shortage by creating strategies to build a healthy workforce pipeline.”
Over the past decade, PLS has brought together nearly 600 established, purpose-driven leaders to collaborate and make a difference in the world. The 2026 class was selected after a rigorous application and review process. Scholars were chosen based on their leadership growth potential and the strength of their personal leadership projects aimed at addressing a critical challenge or need in a community, profession, or organization. Scholars have consistently reported remarkable growth in skills, responsibilities, and opportunities for impact since the program began in 2015. For example, 93% of scholars state they have a strong sense of purpose as a leader, and 100% of scholars state they are inspired to accomplish and achieve more after completing the program.
“Dr. Santa Maria’s selection for this highly prestigious program is a testament to her extraordinary achievements and national impact in both academia and nursing science,” said Melina Kibbe, MD, UTHealth Houston president and Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair. “Through her visionary leadership, Cizik School of Nursing has not only emerged as the state’s foremost institution in NIH funding among nursing schools, but also as a national leader, offering some of the country’s most highly ranked and respected nursing programs.”
Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, RN, ACRN, PHNA-BC, FSAHM, FAAN, also received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in January 2025 in recognition of her work. She has served as principal investigator on more than $7 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for studies among youth experiencing homelessness that address HIV and substance use prevention. Her currently funded research projects involve testing a mobile health intervention aimed at HIV prevention among this population and expanding post-sexual assault services for youth to include HIV and substance use prevention. Her leadership roles include serving as a member of the NIH’s Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council. She is also director of the Developmental Core and co-director of the Substance Use Scientific Working Group at the Texas Developmental Center for AIDS Research.
Santa Maria was named dean of Cizik School of Nursing in 2020 after leading the school ad interim for two years. She holds the Jane and Robert Cizik Distinguished Chair and Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair in Nursing Education Leadership. She was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society’s International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame in 2022 and is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine.
Santa Maria holds a Doctor of Public Health from UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, a Master of Science in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University School of Nursing in Cleveland, Ohio, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The Ohio State University School of Nursing.
About Presidential Leadership Scholars
The Presidential Leadership Scholars program is a partnership among the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. To learn more, visit www.presidentialleadershipscholars.org. For updates about the Presidential Leadership Scholars, use #PLScholars and follow @PLSprogram on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram.
