About Diana Read

Diana has two children. Pete, is 23 years old and is a student at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Alexis is 21 years old and attends school at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Alexis was a torch-bearer for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. She carried the torch for 2/10ths of a mile near Billings, Montana.

Reading, using the computer, playing piano, being with friends, and watercolor painting are Diana's hobbies. Her dreams include watching her children graduate from college and get jobs; living long enough to see her children have children of their own; and traveling back to Australia to catch up with old friends.

She enjoys people, Italian food, the color blue, volunteering, traveling, and listening to other languages. Diana lists her dislikes as bigots, the color chartreuse, excuses, and unhappy people.

Diana's favorite quote is by Charles Swindoll: "The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it."

Diana states that she did not pursue the job of Safe Communities coordinator, but rather, "it pursued me." She expects to be able to affect the way people think about traffic safety and wants to change the behavior of adults and their protection of young passengers in their vehicles. She believes she is making an impact on the people in Region I, as she is seldom able to walk down the street or into a store without someone asking about safety belts or children's car seats.

Some of Diana's least favorite things about her job are talking on the telephone, the fact that change takes too long, and people that say they will do something without follow through. She most enjoys talking to people, organizing events, and being creative.