ABOUT GCA
Meet the Founder: Diane Turner Tyler
Diane & Dad "hanging out" together
(This page in loving memory of A. Jack Turner, Ph.D.: 1/19/1932 - 10/3/2005)
Diane T. Tyler grew up in Auburn, Alabama, where her father was a psychology professor at Auburn University. She obtained her “formal” education from a number of schools including New York University and the graduate schools of the Universities of Pennsylvania and Alabama, and Bryn Mawr College.
After spending more than ten years in the high-tech corporate environment as an executive in public relations and sales and marketing, Diane found herself drawn to areas in which she had done volunteer work most of her life. In the course of her graduate school work, she became deeply immersed in activities related to grants including research, writing, evaluations, and peer-review.
“As my participation in social work and advocacy shifted from volunteer to a more hands-on role, I discovered I had research and grant skills I hadn’t yet utilized. Research well-done requires tenacity, thoroughness, objectivity, and the willingness to scrutinize any research framework one designs or works with for ethical and evidence-based content. Whether working to respond to a grant opportunity or acting as a peer-reviewer for submitted grant applications, the compilation or analysis of data resembles the mechanics of putting together a puzzle with a number of players. Have all the players read the directions thoroughly? Do all the players clearly understand the rules of the game? Do the players have all the puzzle pieces needed prior to completing the puzzle and if not, can the missing pieces be realistically obtained within the timelines designated?”
Over the past ten years, Diane has been active in all aspects of grant activities including 1) aiding and educating nonprofits in the application of grants, as well as the management of grant awards, 2) performing process and outcome evaluations as required by awarded grants, 3) working with other organizations on the establishment of professional & ethical standards for those serving the nonprofit community and 4) acting as peer reviewer on behalf of executive branches of the federal government offering grant awards.