1. February 5,2016 1
Diane Leigh Lenz
dlenz.earlysteps@gmail.com
EDUCATION
1985 M.A. Special Education
Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
1978 B.A. Music Therapy/Minor: Psychology
College of St. Teresa, Winona, Minnesota
TRAINING
2014 Early Steps to School Success Implementation of the curriculum and strategies for providing training and technical
assistance to Home Visitors and local programs that use the curriculum. 18 contact hours.
2011 Social/Emotional Development Training Series Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning.
48 contact hours.
Center for Progressive Leadership Local candidate training program. 40 contact hours.
2007- Flagstaff Leadership Program. Year long program to prepare community leaders, providing participants with
2008 diverse viewpoints on current community issues.
2004 EMILY’S LIST Political Opportunity Program. Training on political candidacy and campaign planning.8 contact hours.
2000- Advanced Legislative Process. Congressional Research Service. 18 contact hours.
2001
1995 Technology of participation: Group Facilitation Methods. Institute of Cultural Affairs 1996 (ICA). 12 contact hours.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Program Management
Early Childhood
July 2015- Present Early Childhood Consultant/Program Specialist
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and the Havasupai Tribe, Arizona
Independent Contractor, responsible for supporting implementation of home visitation programs
funded through Arizona First Things First grants to the Havasupai Tribe (five days/month on site)
and the Fort McDowell tribe (two days/month on site). The Havasupai village of Supai, AZ is one
of the most remote communities in the U.S., accessible only by hiking, horseback or helicopter.
The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation is located near Phoenix, AZ.
February 2014- Program Specialist Save the Children. Fairfield, CT
June 2015 Responsible for supporting the Havasupai Tribe’s implementation of an Arizona First Things First grant for
home visitation and family support.

2. February 5,2016 2
Program Management/Early Childhood (continued)
1984-2013 Northern Arizona University (NAU), Institute for Human Development
Arizona University Center on Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). Flagstaff, AZ
2010-2013 Project Director, Nihiyazhi Ba’iit’ih (For Our Children).
Led grant development team. Awarded an Arizona First Things First grant for home visitation and family
support for at-risk families with children ages birth-5 years who reside on the Navajo Nation. Responsible
for grant administration and implementation including on-site and remote supervision of 11 staff.
1996-1999 Arizona Early Intervention Staff Development and Training Project.
Member of the project team that developed the Arizona Early Intervention Credential for practitioners
providing services to children with disabilities, birth to age three, and their families.
1994-1996 Project Coordinator, Arizona Early Intervention Program Training Project.
Management of a statewide in-service training project with a target audience of early intervention service
providers and family members of children with disabilities.
1991-94 Project Coordinator, Early Intervention Services Program.
Coordinated home-based early intervention services for 50 families in Coconino County and on the Navajo
and Hopi Reservations. Duties included: direct early intervention services; hiring and supervision of five
Early Interventionists for Coconino County and Navajo and Hopi Reservation service sites.
1990 Evaluation Case Manager, Northern Arizona Child Evaluation Services.
Member of a child evaluation team responsible for assessment of children/students with disabilities,
birth-age 21. Responsible for coordinating the evaluation process and monitoring compliance with state
Department of Education requirements for student evaluation.
1989 Research Assistant, Early Childhood Planning Project.
Member of a research team responsible for conducting a statewide needs assessment regarding the
service needs of children with special needs, birth through three years of age, and their families.
Responsibilities included: assisting in the development of the survey instrument; hiring, training and
supervising Family Interviewers; and contacting state service agencies in order to obtain policy
information.
1988 Consultant, Teaching Research, Western Oregon State College, Monmouth, Oregon
Assisted in modification of the Teaching Research Data-Based Classroom Model curriculum to make
it more appropriate for paraprofessionals and speakers of English as a second language.
1984-88 Early Intervention Services/Outreach Program Coordinator
Coordinated assessment and intervention services for infants and preschoolers with special needs, and
their families. Duties included hiring, training, and supervising up to 11 local Instructional Aides who
provided home based services in rural, Northern Arizona communities. Included extensive work in
American Indian communities on the Navajo, Hopi and White Mountain Apache Reservations.
Community Outreach and Advocacy
2007- 2013 Project Co-Coordinator. The Disability Experience
Responsible for implementation of The Disability Experience project, that had as its goal to increase
acceptance and understanding of people with disabilities by facilitating discussions with elementary,
middle and high school audiences and the general community.
2005-2010 Project Director. Arizona National Service Inclusion Project
The project worked in collaboration with the Governor’s Office Division for Community and Youth
development to assist Arizona’s AmeriCorps*State Programs to encourage individuals with disabilities
to become AmeriCorps members.

3. February 5,2016 3
Program Management/Community Outreach and Advocacy (continued)
2004-2008 Project Supervisor, Arizona Self-Advocacy Coalition/Northern Region.
Brought together self-advocates (i.e., adults with developmental disabilities) and support people as
part of the statewide Self-Advocacy Coalition of Arizona with the goal of forming a non-profit
organization run for and by self-advocates. Included advisory committee development and management.
2001- March 2005 Project Coordinator, Arizona Coalition for Family Support, Self- Determination and Disability
In 2001 and 2003, wrote and was awarded Projects of National Significance through the federal
Administration on Developmental Disabilities to form the statewide Coalition on Family Support,
Self-Determination and Disability. Included advisory committee development and management.
Program Evaluation
2004-2008 Co-Project Director. Empowering Arizona’s Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (EAzI)
Coordinated a federal grant project team which developed a consumer-to-consumer quality assurance
interview process for the Arizona Department of Economic Security/Division of Developmental
Disabilities. Included advisory committee development and management.
September 2001- Project Coordinator, Arizona Coalition for Family Support, Self- Determination and Disability.
March 2005 Activities included two program evaluation efforts, utilizing phone and paper/pencil surveys to describe
family/consumer and professional experiences in the state Division of Developmental Disabilities’ Person
Centered Planning process; and the Division’s Case Management Pilot project.
Staff Development and Training
2002-2005 Project Coordinator, Improving Communities of Practice.
Coordinated in-service training for personnel providing special education services in BIA funded schools
in the Western Agency Area of the Navajo Nation. Collaborative grant through a sub-award from the
University of New Mexico/Center on Development and Disability.
1999 Project Coordinator, Special Education Learning Experiences for
Competency in Teaching (SELECT)
Coordinated Arizona Department of Education contract to provide community based university level
workshops and coursework statewide as a major component of the state’s federally mandated
Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) plan.
1990-91 Project Coordinator, Project TECH.
Coordinator- child evaluation team. Provided technical assistance and training to school district staff
in the areas of community-based diagnostic evaluation and program planning for students with severe
disabilities and preschool students with special needs. Duties included: start-up of the technical assistance
model; coordination of team process; hiring and supervision of three evaluators; communication with
school districts; report preparation; budget monitoring; and monitoring activities related to a state
funded grant.
1989 Instructional Specialist, Supported Employment Training Center. Institute for Human Development
Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
Participated in the initial planning for the Supported Employment Training Center. The Center provided
training and technical assistance for Job Coaches and other individuals and agencies involved in supported
employment for adults with disabilities.
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS & LEADERSHIP
2015-Present National Association for the Education of Young Children
2015-Present Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth
2010-Present Coconino County Parks and Recreation Commission
2008-Present Coconino County Employee Appeals Board
2001-2013 Community Training Coordinator. Northern Arizona University/Institute for Human Development,
Member of the Institute for Human Development’s administrative management team. Responsible for
implementation of the Institute’s goals in the area of community training and technical assistance.

4. February 5,2016 4
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS & LEADERSHIP (continued)
1995-2013 Association of University Centers of Disabilities (AUCD). National Community Education Directors
Council. 1998-2008: Steering Committee member; Council Secretary, 1999-2002; Council Chair, 2002-2004
2002-2006 Association of University Centers of Disabilities (AUCD). Board of Directors. Board Secretary, 2006
2011-2014 American Association of University Women. Flagstaff Branch. Policy Coordinator (2013)
2011-2014 Friends of Coconino County Parks, Board of Directors. Chair (2012-2014)
1991-1999 Arizona Early Intervention Program District III Regional Management Team. 1999 Chairperson
1983-1995 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Chapter President 1983-84; State Federation. Treasurer 1987-88
1990-1993 Arizona Child Find Advisory Committee
1985-1992 Journal of Rural and Small Schools, Editorial Board
WORKSHOPS CONDUCTED (1-3 Day Training Sessions)
2010 Empowering Arizona’s Individuals with Developmental Disabilities. Interviewer Training. Flagstaff, AZ
2009 Including People with Disabilities in National Service. Arizona Rehabilitation Services Administration,
One-Stop Disability Navigators. Avondale, AZ
PRESENTATIONS
2015 Implementing the Prenatal Curriculum. Save the Children webinar.
2013 The Power of Play in Social/Emotional Development. Presented at the First Things First parent workshop,
Play-Where Learning Begins. Navajo Nation. Tuba City, AZ
2011 Working with Allies in Arizona. Presented at the Administration on
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Summit. Los Angeles, CA
2010
The Disability Experience. Sinagua Middle School. Flagstaff, AZ
PUBLIC POLICY/POLITICAL EXPERIENCE
2002-present Various community organizing and political leadership activities including past County Democratic Party
Vice Chair, State Committee Member, Precinct Committee Person and campaign volunteer.
2012 Candidate, Coconino County Supervisor
2000-2001 Legislative Fellow, United States Senate, Committee on Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions, Senator James Jeffords, Chair, Washington, D.C.
Participated with senior Committee staff in the development and passage of federal disability legislation.
REFERENCES
Dr. Richard Carroll Executive Director, Institute for Human Development/Northern Arizona University
richard.carroll@nau.edu
928-523-7033
Bonita Tsosie Teacher, Tuba City Boarding School. Navajo Nation, Tuba City, AZ
bonitatsosie@gmail.com
928-614-4206
Catherine Vandenberg Regional Manager, Parenting Arizona, Flagstaff, AZ
ccrane16@gmail.com
928-773-9133
Dr. George Jesien Retired Executive Director, Association of University Centers on Disability, Silver Spring, MD
geojesien@gmail.com
301-509-2397