Dianne M. Knippel
Vice Chair
Dianne is the Executive Director of the Antelope Valley College Foundation responsible for fundraising to support the college and its students. Since joining the Foundation in August 2015, she has doubled the endowment, which has provided $1M in student scholarships. She has 34 years of business development, and public and governmental affairs experience with Lockheed Martin Corporation – one of the top three world-wide defense aerospace companies and with Southern California Edison, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities.
As a highly effective manager and leader, she has developed and implemented strategic public, stakeholder and employee awareness programs for research, environmental, energy and production programs, both nationally and globally. She has also been responsible for leading and managing over 50 new business proposals such as the contract win for Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico and technology programs such as the Atomic Weapon Establishment for the Ministry of Defence in England.
Dianne is a proven community leader and volunteer and is a recognized speaker on emergency preparedness, energy education, and aerospace trends and initiatives. Mentoring early career professionals has been a career focus.