Dianne Lister is the Principal of The Dianne Lister Group, a consulting firm established in 2003 serving the Canadian charitable and not-for-profit sector. Her services include executive coaching, facilitation, strategic and operational planning, ethics training, governance and Board relations, and implementing successful philanthropic programs.

After practicing as a social justice lawyer, Dianne held executive roles as President & CEO of Sick Kids Foundation (1991-2003), Vice-President, External Relations, Trent University (2006-2011), and President & CEO of the ROM Governors (2011-2014). Dianne is a sessional instructor with the University of Victoria, and is a regular speaker and published author on the topics of ethics and public trust, and leadership. Dianne was the first Canadian Chair of the international Ethics Committee of the Association of Professional Fundraisers (AFP) and served for 9 years on this committee.

Dianne has been a director of the Canadian Canoe Museum Board for five years, was appointed Chair of the Exhibit Design Committee for the new museum ($65M project with a slated opening in 2022) and is a member of Museum’s Governance Committee. In 2017, Dianne was appointed by the Premier as a Trustee of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, and serves on its Governance & Nominating Committee.

A resident of Bobcaygeon, Dianne is the Chair of the Kawartha Lakes Arts Council, and a member of its Nominating & Governance Committee. She previously served as a founding Director of the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough.
Dianne holds an Honours B.A. (Trent University 1976), LL.B. (Osgoode Hall Law School 1980), and completed the MIT-Harvard Executive Program in Alternative Dispute Resolution. In 2011 Dianne was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 25 Women of Influence. In 2014, she was the first Canadian to receive the AFP Founders’ Medallion for national and international leadership.