Diane Randall

Executive Secretary

On March 1, 2011 Diane Randall joined FCNL as the fourth Executive Secretary since 1943. She follows E. Raymond Wilson, Edward F. Snyder, and Joe Volk. Diane brings to FCNL the experience, skills, and grounding to lead our work into the 21st century. Her background includes many years as an executive director of statewide advocacy organizations, a passion for rebuilding the democratic system in our country, a record of achievements in lobbying and citizen engagement and a spiritual grounding in the Religious Society of Friends.

Before coming to FCNL, Diane was Executive Director of Partnership for Strong Communities, a Connecticut-based non-profit organization providing leadership, advocacy, and policy development on solutions to homelessness, affordable housing and community development. Diane’s leadership helped to grow that organization into an effective, respected advocacy operation, successfully securing more than $400 million in new resources from the Connecticut General Assembly that helped build and rehabilitate thousands of units of housing for people who were homeless and at risk of homelessness. Diane provided leadership for the Hartford-based Lyceum Resource and Conference Center, which serves as a site for policy forums, lively debate and engagement of political, civic and philanthropic leaders with practitioners and the wider community to network, debate ideas and develop solutions to create strong communities.

Diane’s engagement in the peace movement began in the early 1980s, when she left her position as a high school English teacher in Omaha, Nebraska to direct the Omaha Nuclear Freeze Campaign. Diane relocated to Connecticut in 1986 where she directed the state Network to Abolish the Death Penalty and worked for the Office of Urban Affairs of the Archdiocese of Hartford, launching a twenty-year career lobbying the state legislature. During that time, Diane became the first Executive Director of the Connecticut AIDS Residence Coalition, dedicated to advocacy and effective delivery of housing and services for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Diane is also no stranger to Washington. She has testified twice before the Senate Banking Committee and appeared on the House side as well. She looks forward to applying her knowledge, experience and passion for peace and justice to advancing FCNL’s legislative priorities in Washington.

An active member of Hartford Monthly Meeting (CT), New England Yearly Meeting, Diane has served as clerk of her monthly meeting and clerk of most committees in the meeting as well serving on the Development, Worship and Counsel, and Nominating Committees of New England Yearly Meeting; and on the Board of Advisors of the Earlham School of Religion.

Diane Randall’s appointment to lead the FCNL staff follows a carefully planned succession-planning and search process that began in 2008, when Joe Volk informed our committee that he planned to retire in early 2011.

Read Diane's Plenary Address to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.

Read Diane's keynote speech to FCNL's Annual Meeting.