DR. DIANA CHRISTOPULOS
 
 
Prior to her retirement, Diana

• Owned an international management consulting business specializing in strategic planning and leadership development. Her clients included Fortune 100 companies, private foundations, government agencies and a wide range of businesses and nonprofits.
• Was a senior executive at the American Heart Association's national headquarters in Dallas.
• Taught college history, specializing in U.S. Foreign Policy, social history and Mexican history.

 
She has a doctorate in American history, earning her degrees from Cornell University and Binghamton University (New York).  
 
Since retirement she has

• Received the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy’s highest award, the Victor A. Thomas Award for Environmental Stewardship, in 2023. Previous winners include Sen. Tim Kaine and Gov. Gerard Baliles.
• Been named the Cox Conserves National Hero in 2019, winning $60,000 for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to protect trail viewsheds in Virginia  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2ZA202IQL8
• Hiked the entire the Appalachian Trail (not all at once!)
• Served the AT as a member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s President’s Circle and as President, Vice President and Archivist of the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club, which maintains over 120 miles of the AT in this region
• Taught a seminar on the History of US Environmental Public Policy at Hollins University
• Co-founded the Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition, promoting energy conservation, energy efficiency and the transition to clean, renewable energy in our region.

 
In addition, she has previously served as:

• President of the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy (2019-20)
• Trained interviewer of applicants to the Virginia Tech Carilion Medical School
• Roanoke Women’s Foundation’s grants committee member
• President, Greater Roanoke Valley Asthma and Air Quality Coalition

 
A native of Wyoming, Diana likes to play outside. She keeps trying to be a good vegetable gardener, and she has canoed, kayaked or rafted thousands of miles on American rivers.
 
She and Mark McClain live in Salem.