Diane Denise Washington
Biography
Diane Washington joined the School of Nursing in 2011 as the Executive Assistant to the Dean. Diane brings over two decades of executive administrative leadership experience to the school, having been executive assistant to both the CFO and CEO of Southern Health, Administrative Office Manager to the UVA Medical Center Finance Department, and Administrative Assistant to the Chair of UVA Radiology & Medical Imaging. Diane began her administrative trajectory as the receptionist in UVA Patient Billing.
In early 2024, Diane assumed the role of Executive Assistant for School Initiatives and Support, where she leads the school’s major initiatives in the form of specialized event planning and coordination – including lectureships. Diane serves as an appointed administrative staffer for the School’s Awards Committee in addition to serving as proofreader for the School of Nursing’s weekly newsletter. Diane provides organizational support for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Compassionate Care Initiative, Academic Operations, and sits on the Diversity Committee as a collaborator to record the minutes.
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. Diane is currently an active member of the State of the Executive Assistant as well as Office Dynamics International. Ms. Washington is a recipient of the School of Nursing Accomplished Service Recognition Award for Outstanding Contributions as well as the School of Nursing Dean’s Award for Excellence in Innovation. Diane received special recognition for winding down the Fontaine deanship while simultaneously onboarding a new dean (all while still accomplishing her daily responsibilities). Ms. Washington is also a two-time recipient of the UVA Medical Center/School of Medicine Employee of the Month awards.
Ms. Washington is a graduate of the University of Virginia where she earned a BA in Sociology. She holds three certificates of completion from the UVA School of Medicine’s Mini-Med School. A proponent of lifelong learning and an advocate for workplace wellbeing and employee support, Ms. Washington 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 DeEscalation training session conducted by the UVA Office of Threat Assessment and completed selfdirected WorkDay modules on the Management of Aggressive Behavior (MOAB).
A passion for workplace and employee wellbeing, Ms. 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 singlehandedly organized a faculty and staff “Self-Care” Hour and a “Mardi Gras get-together” 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 a program completion certificate from the Uva School of Continuing & Professional Studies in March 2025.