Diane P. Zimmerman

Diane P. Zimmerman, PhD, is a writer and independent consultant who focuses on entrepreneurial learning, human capacity development, and schools that make a difference. She holds a doctorate in Human and Organizational Development from the Fielding Graduate Institute/Graduate University, completed in 1998, and a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis earned in 1972. Over a 36-year career in education, she worked as a teacher, speech therapist, program manager, and assistant director of special education, later serving as a principal for two schools in Davis, California, and then as assistant superintendent for human resources. From 2002 to 2011, she was superintendent of the Old Adobe Union School District in California.

Zimmerman is the coauthor of Lemons to Lemonade: Resolving Problems in Meetings, Workshops, and PLCs with Robert J. Garmston and Nine Professional Conversations to Change Our Schools: A Dashboard of Options with William A. Sommers, both published by Corwin. Her work provides frameworks and strategies for improving professional conversations, conflict management, and facilitation in schools, and she frequently contributes as an independent consultant and journalist on topics related to professional learning and collective efficacy.[