Diane oversees USApple’s work with federal lawmakers and regulators in Washington, D.C. She is responsible for educating members of the House and Senate and federal agencies on the important issues facing the domestic apple industry and how the decisions made on Capitol Hill will impact growers, shippers and processors. Diane is active in a number of coalitions working on the industry’s priority issues. She also manages the USApple PAC, the association’s political action committee.
Before joining USApple in 2004, Diane served as the director of international programs for the American Peanut Council. She previously served in the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a political appointee during the Clinton Administration where she worked on food safety policy issues. Diane began working for Senator Patrick Leahy (D‐Vt.) as a legislative staff member for the Senate Agriculture Committee. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History from the University of Vermont.