Diane Denise Washington

Biography

Diane Washington joined the School of Nursing in October 2011.  Across her more than 14 years at the nursing school, Washington served as executive assistant to dean emeriti Dorrie K. Fontaine and Pamela Cipriano as well as assistant to the School’s seventh dean Marianne Baernholdt, the Pew Charitable Trusts Dean and Professor. Now in her role as executive assistant for school initiatives and support, she collaborates with faculty and staff from the academic operations enterprise to the Compassionate Care Initiative, the Office of Strategic Wellness and Opportunity, and the school’s awards and recognition committee.  Washington brings over three decades of executive experience to the School, having served as Administrative Office Manager to the UVA Medical Center Finance Department, executive assistant to the CFO and then the CEO of managed healthcare company Southern Health, and Assistant to the Chair in the Department of Radiology & Medical Imaging, Dr. Michael Dake. Diane began her administrative trajectory as the receptionist for UVA Patient Financial Services, brought on board by distinguished leader and retired Medical Center Finance Director, Mary K. Bednar.

Ms. Washington has been a member of several professional organizations, such as UVA’s Exceptional Assistant Network (EAN), Toastmaster’s Club of Charlottesville, Dr. Joanne Pinkerton’s Women’s Health Awareness Committee, and UVA Black Faculty-Staff Employee Resource Group (BFS-ERG). Diane is currently an active member of the State of the Executive Assistant as well as Office Dynamics International. Washington is a 2012 recipient of the School of Nursing Accomplished Service Recognition Award for Outstanding Contributions as well as the 2014 School of Nursing Dean’s Award for Excellence in Innovation. Diane received special recognition in 2019 for winding down the Fontaine deanship while concurrently onboarding the newly appointed dean, Pamela Cipriano (while still managing the day-day operations in the Dean’s Office). Ms. Washington is also a two-time recipient of the UVA Medical Center and School of Medicine Employee of the Month awards.

Washington is a graduate of the University of Virginia where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. She holds three certificates of completion from the UVA School of Medicine’s Mini-Med School. A proponent of life-long learning and an advocate for workplace wellbeing and employee support, Diane has completed work to foster employee wellbeing and engagement. May 2024, Diane completed training in Introduction to Wisdom & Wellbeing Peer Support Training, Introduction to Wisdom & Wellbeing Peer Support Training in Discrimination & Bias, Introduction to Wisdom Practices, and Stress First Aid Introduction, as well as Stepping in 4 Respect Training. August 2024 Diane participated in the De-Escalation training session conducted by the UVA Office of Threat Assessment and completed self-directed Workday modules on the Management of Aggressive Behavior (MOAB).

A passion for workplace and employee wellbeing, Washington went on to complete in January 2025 Stepping in 4 Respect Train-the-Trainer/Facilitator Training as well as completed self-directed Workday modules on Respectful Workplace Guidelines. During the same month of January 2025, Diane took additional training in the Wisdom and Wellbeing Approach and received a certificate of completion in Wisdom and Wellbeing Peer Support Champion training. February and March 2025, Diane independently organized a faculty and staff “Self-Care” Hour and a “Mardi Gras get-together” both of which included activities to promote workplace wellbeing and employee support. Spanning over 5 months, Ms. Washington participated in a 12-session program – Higher Education Program for Executive Level Assistants (HEPELA) – earning her a program completion certificate from the UVA School of Continuing & Professional Studies in March 2025. April 2025, the University of Virginia BFS-ERG bestowed upon Washington the 2025 Lincoln Lewis Staff Recognition Award for encouraging those around her to think critically, act inclusively, and lead with integrity.