Throughout Diane’s 30-year career as an executive director in regional civic, education and arts organizations, she’s transformed vision into action, inspired and managed Board, staff and volunteer teams, led strategic planning and major fundraising campaigns, and created impactful cross-sector partnerships involving businesses, foundations, media, nonprofits, educational institutions and government. 

Thirty years of professional and community leadership

During her recent decade + leadership at Seattle CityClub, Diane published a regional index of civic health and co-founded an innovative statewide network to bring fair and smart candidate debates to Washington college and university campuses. 

As Director and Chief Curator of Bellevue Arts Museum, she spearheaded a $23 million capital campaign to build a landmark new museum designed by architect, Steven Holl. She founded the Center for Liberal Arts at Bellevue College and, early in her career, edited oral histories with former U.S. House Members and Senators at the Library of Congress.  

Diane serves on the board and volunteers with national nonprofits supporting civic engagement, including Citizen University and Common Purpose. She is also co-editor of the book, Choosing Craft, a social history of the American Craft Movement as told through the voices of artists in the field.

On any given Sunday, you’ll find Diane hiking in the Cascades, working on the NY Times crossword puzzle (in pen), visiting art museums, cooking dinner for friends or writing a new short story.

After a year of consulting in a small group practice, Diane founded Diane Douglas Consulting in 2019.