Diane is General Counsel for Johnson & Blanton, LLC, a full-service government relations firm headquartered in Tallahassee. Diane began her career at the intersection of law, policy, and politics as a legislative intern for the Florida House of Representatives while still in law school at Florida State University. She rounded out her law school experience serving as Executive Editor of the Law Review, a member of the Moot Court Team, and as the recipient of a Public Service Fellowship. On graduating from F.S.U.’s College of Law she returned to the Florida House as Counsel to the Commerce Committee where she learned to navigate the legislative process from the inside. Over the past 25 years Diane’s career has evolved to encompass association management, private law practice, public administration, and lobbying. She has been recruited by the Governor and Cabinet for multiple regulatory and executive positions, including appointments to the Board of the Florida Workers’ Compensation Guaranty Association, as Chair of the Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association, and as Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, where she led the agency that licenses and regulates 30-plus categories of business and professionals that touch all aspects of the lives of Florida’s 17 million citizens. Currently, Diane relies on her public- and private-sector backgrounds to develop and advance legislative, regulatory, and political strategies as a lobbyist for clients from diverse segments of commerce and industry ranging from Fortune 500 companies to trade associations comprised of highly regulated businesses and professionals. Additionally, Diane serves as the firm’s General Counsel, advising the principals on administrative, operational, and transactional matters. Long devoted to community service, Diane volunteers as a Guardian ad Litem and is a graduate of Leadership Florida. She is active in local and state bar associations, and is a Florida Chamber Foundation Trustee. While in private law practice she was selected by her peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America for Government Relations Practice, and in Administrative/Regulatory Law. Since joining Johnson & Blanton in 2015, she has continued to promote professionalism among lawyer-lobbyists as a founding member of the Florida Bar’s Governmental and Public Policy Advocacy Committee.