Diana Baldi
Libertyville, IL
Advocate
Charity: Illinois Destination ImagiNation
Diana’s vision and success in improving creativity and innovation skills of students in the Chicagoland area qualifies her to be Chicago Woman of the Year. Diana is a passionate advocate for Destination ImagiNation® (DI) which is impacting many schools and students. In Northern Illinois, the program has been reenergized recently by a whole team of volunteers under Diana’s leadership so that DI now has the potential to be shared by children from Waukegan to Forest Park to Chicago Southside. Illinois DI is an all volunteer program that encourages divergent thinking, team work and, most importantly, an “I can do it” attitude to students who learn these skills by doing simple to complex open-ended Challenges. Expansion of DI to underserved youth required Diana's partnering with others including Mayor Daley’s Science in the City, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the Chicago Chamber of Commerce Innovate Now Summit, Chicago Public Schools, and YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. Through public events, in-school assemblies, and diligent recruiting, the visibility of DI is substantially improved in the targeted areas. Over 2000 new students have been introduced to DI and nearly 30 new schools have actively participated since 2006. DI is being recognized by many educational stakeholders in Northern Illinois as an exciting new approach to creating the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, and our future workforce. Diana now is focused on partnering with volunteer groups and obtaining grants, including funding from this award.
