Francis Diaz Kennedy

Francis Diaz Kennedy is the Public Interest Communications Strategist at the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation, where she leads communications strategy and designs efforts to shift attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors around the Foundation’s priority areas to create transformational impact in Southeast Michigan and the Great Lakes region. She is motivated by the opportunity to use communications to move people to action toward a better future for all, turning complex social challenges into clear paths for progress. 

Prior to joining the Foundation in March 2026, Francis served as Deputy Chief Strategist at Marketing for Change, a national behavior change communications agency, where she led research and strategy for campaigns focused on health care access, maternal and child health, mental health, mis- and disinformation, and environmental protection.  

She holds a B.S. in Public Relations with a specialization in public interest communications and a minor in nonprofit organizational leadership from the University of Florida. Her work has earned her ADDY awards for public service advertising, and her research has informed campaigns featured in academic textbooks and peer-reviewed journals. 

Though known today as a strategist, Francis’s path into the field began through research. Her background studying how people make decisions continues to shape her approach toward communications strategy. Outside of work, she is newly settled in Southeast Michigan after relocating from Florida and enjoys exploring the region with her husband and their pandemic pup, Basil.