Diane Pratt

Diane Pratt, of Washington, D.C., was elected to the AARP Board of Directors in 2010.  

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Life Perspectives

"I'm the oldest of four sisters. We grew up in Chicago with our parents. My mom is still with us. She'll be 89 this year. She's been a real resource and an inspiration. 

"She went back to school to get her master's after we were all out of school, and then she moved from being a teacher to being a guidance counselor with the Chicago school system. 

"From her we learned that, while fear is something that we all experience, it's nothing to be afraid of. We are all nervous about trying things that are new and different, but that should not be the reason why you do not move forward. You can always take a chance. And you can always succeed. Maybe one of the reasons we felt we could take a leap of faith is because we knew we had the backing of our parents. They were there to encourage us to do our best all along. 

"Mother and Dad were what we assumed was middle class. It turned out to be a very relative term. We never knew we didn't have anything. 

"Both parents gave us a good sense of what it meant to be a good citizen. We woke up at 6 o'clock on Election Day and watched them vote even before we could. They made sure we understood that people in other countries, even in our own, had fought and died so that we could have a right to vote. The full awareness of how important it was to be politically active came very early for us. 

"Growing up in Chicago, I didn't understand that nobody was going to run against Mayor Daley. It took me a long time to appreciate that there were other people that took different stances.

"Then we had the Democratic National Convention that turned into an amazing growth experience for me. I almost stumbled upon it. I said, ‘Oh, there are some folks demonstrating. Let's see what's happening.' I ended up getting teargassed and running from the police. And having a real argument with my father, who was a staunch military advocate and could not believe that anyone would disrespect the National Guard for whatever reason. 

"That was the beginning of my political discussions with people of varying opinions and perspectives. From there, I began to work with the City of Chicago. I had gotten a master's in urban planning at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. 

"Chicago practice was quite different. Rural planning and land use in Chapel Hill versus neighborhood and economic development planning around Chicago almost forced the political approach into the forefront. It was apparent that all was not created equal. 

"There was a need for advocacy. The voice of the people who were affected needed to be heard. They could do that by trying to set up community development corporations or neighborhood-based organizations, which understood, from a technical sense, the needs of a small neighborhood and how individuals could come together and enter into a discourse with the powers-that-be through the political system. They indeed did have the ability to put into office individuals who would righteously represent their interests. 

"My goal is to be a real change agent, socially and politically, from a policy perspective. AARP's advocacy and social change work for its membership was a natural extension of some of my own awareness of what it takes to implement social change." 

Expertise 

Public affairs, communications, government relations, community economic engagement, economic development, neighborhood and civic organizations. 

Education

M.A., City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina; B.A., economics, Barat College. 

Experience

Currently, president and CEO, DP Consultants, Inc., a public affairs management firm. Formerly, staff director, District of Columbia Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development; special assistant for special projects, D.C. Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development; economic development specialist, Center for Community Change; city planner, Chicago Department of Planning, City and Community Development. 

Volunteer experience

Boards: Serves on AARP Board's Audit and Finance Committee and the National Nominating Committee. Member of the Board, Henry C. Gregory III Family Life Center Foundation. 

Other: Formerly, member of St. Augustine's School Business Advisory Council; chair and previous vice-chair, District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency; chair, Housing Committee, Business Regulatory Advisory Commission of the District of Columbia.

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