ABOUT ME

In a nutshell, I am a passionate community builder and service-minded leader who enjoys working alongside others to creatively solve problems and make a positive impact.

More importantly, I am the proud mother of three Eanes-educated children: Zach Anderson, a senior at the University of Wisconsin Madison, Leah Anderson, a freshman at the University of Washington Seattle, and Brett Anderson, a current sophomore at Westlake High School.

Community Involvement Highlights

Diane has over 17 years of serving the Eanes community in a variety of roles, giving her a broad perspective and deep understanding of the needs of ALL our children and our teachers.

Community Advocate, Challenge Success - Advocated for smart, nuanced changes to the GPA weighting system that rewards effort while encouraging exploration of interests outside of traditional curriculum.
Representative, EISD Student Safety and Health Advisory Committee (SSHAC)
Member, EISD SSHAC Mental Health Subcommittee
Mentor, WHS Interact Club, Rotary Club of Westlake
VP Communications & Founding Member, Young Men’s Service League (YMSL)
Non-Profit Liaison, Young Men’s Service League
Member, WHS and WRMS Campus Leadership Teams
Mentor, FLL Robotics
Mentor, Destination Imagination
Invited Participant, Westlake Community Leadership Forum
Event Lead and Student Mentor, American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Westlake
Co-founder, Community to Community - grassroots non-profit effort to assist families at Austin Title 1 Middle School

My Story

Born and raised in Maryland, I made my way to Texas as quickly as possible after a four year detour in chilly Boston to study Chemical Engineering at MIT. Finally, at the ripe old age of 21, I followed the sun and moved to Austin to complete a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering at UT.

Fortunately, a dream job opportunity at a medical device company allowed me to stay in Austin. This experience fostered an interest in business strategy and led me to ultimately relocate briefly to California to complete an MBA at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford. My husband, Paul Anderson (from whom I am now amicably divorced), and I welcomed our first child, Zach, during my first year at Stanford and our second child, Leah, not long after my graduation.

Driven by our love of Austin and our desire to raise our children in an excellent public school system, we repatriated back to the great state of Texas as quickly as possible. Quite simply, Eanes ISD was the only district we considered when searching for a home. Brett, our third child, completed our family with his arrival a couple of years later. By far the most adventurous, we congratulate ourselves on each of his birthdays that we have managed to keep him alive yet another year. Our children have thrived in the Eanes school system, and I am extremely grateful to have been a part of this community for nearly 20 years now.

During this time, I have made the personal decision to direct my attention full-time to my family and volunteer work in the community. In addition to serving in countless roles in Eanes at both the school and district level (some more glamorous than others…I might still smell like FTE popcorn), I have worn many hats outside of our school system including Girl Scout troop leader, non-profit liaison with the Young Men’s Service League, mentor for the Rotary Club’s WHS Interact chapter, and chair of the Westlake Relay For Life, an American Cancer Society community event and fundraiser. I also focus on needs outside of Westlake, working with a few friends to organize assistance for families in need in a Title 1 school community in Austin, most notably with our Holiday Helper program.

Driven by my ever-growing interest in public service, in 2020, I decided that I did not have enough degrees (I simply love to learn!) and returned to school once more, matriculating at the UT LBJ School to study public policy. I whole-heartedly subscribed to the mantra “use it or lose it!”.

With my degree fresh off the press in December 2022, I launched my campaign for a place on the EISD Board of Trustees shortly after. This is a position I have considered over many years, and now the time is right.

I balance my community work with a passion for travel, particularly by car. I have logged many thousands of miles over the past several decades traveling across the US with my family. A five-week RV trip from Austin to Alaska holds the record as my longest excursion to date.

I am also a longtime runner and novice rower and simply love being outdoors in general. I enjoy tinkering in my vegetable garden and can often be found strolling my neighborhood with my two dogs, a very large and stubborn Great Pyrenees named Clara Bell and an extremely loyal and loving cattle dog named Harry.

I enjoy meeting people and learning about their Eanes experiences and hopes for the future. Please reach out to me at diane4eanes@gmail.com if you would like to chat over coffee, kombucha, or even a glass of wine or beer. Heck, a “dry” chat at the library also works!