Press Release

For Immediate Release

Contact: Diane McGuire

Democratic Candidate for Illinois State Representative, 96th District

1235 Tennyson Lane

Naperville, Illinois 60540

(630)420-8502

diannegreenwood@comcast.net

 

 

Naperville Educator Announces Democratic Candidacy for State Representative

 

Dianne McGuire announced her candidacy as the Democratic Candidate for Illinois State Representative in the 96th District to fill the seat of retiring Republican Joe Dunn.

“I want to energize our state representation with a much-needed grass-roots understanding of what the basic needs are for residents in Southwest DuPage County,” said McGuire.   “I am not a politician.  I am not an insider making deals for friends, but a friend of the community, working on the inside to make our lives better.  As an educator, I know from working with both children and adults, what families want, what they need and I want to deliver legislation that can positively impact their lives.”

Locally, statewide and nationally, Dianne has focused like a laser beam on being a leader on community issues.

Locally, she contributed to civic causes through her dynamic involvement in District 203 as President of the Naperville Unit Education Association; she currently serves as an officer for her Homeowner’s Association and as an appointed member of the Fair Housing Commission for the City of Naperville.

“The impact she has had on the Madison community will long remain in our halls and our hearts,” said Erin Anderson, Principal, Madison Junior High School, of Dianne McGuire.  “She has dedicated herself to teaching and learning and has been instrumental in the professional regard of teachers throughout this community.  For years, as she has stood before her students and inspired them to reach for the stars, she did the same for her colleagues.  Her energy is a motivator to all to be committed to this, the most valuable profession in our society.”

Statewide, Dianne served on the State Board of Education’s Those Who Excel Committee, as well as on the Illinois Education Association’s Board of Directors. 

Nationally, Dianne was elected to serve on the National Education Association’s Board of Directors, 1993-99.

Dianne’s years in the classroom and in the board room and as a small business owner have prepared her well for the duties and responsibilities of representing the residents of District 96.   She has learned how to balance the interests of competing parties and to find that middle ground, wherein each party can achieve important goals and move forward, unlike the current gridlock we’re seeing at the state level.  Her training as a mediator will also enable her to effectively listen to all perspectives and to reach compromise positions, without losing sight of important values and interests.  “When I am elected, I will bring not only a new perspective, but one which culminates from years of working with children and f amilies, as well as from my experience as a small business owner.  I understand the complexity and the essence of what it takes to represent the residents of District 96.  I want to carry your voice to Springfield and to demand attention to the needs of the hardworking families in Naperville and Aurora.”

Dianne has over twenty-five years of experience as a 6th, 7th, and 8th grade language arts and geography teacher at Madison JHS in Naperville Consolidated Unit District 203.

 

Biography

Dianne McGuire was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.   She graduated from O’Gorman High School and was the first in her family to complete college, earning a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree from South Dakota State University, as well as a Masters in Education/ Reading from Northern Illinois University.

In 1979 she began her full time teaching career at Madison Junior High School in the Naperville Consolidated Unit District 203 as a reading teacher.  For the next twenty seven years she taught language arts and geography to 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade Madison students, retiring in 2006.  During this time she also served in a variety of leadership roles within the Naperville Unit Education Association, the Illinois Education Association, and the National Education Association.    

In 1996, she and her husband, Fred Greenwood, opened The Guilty Party, Ltd., a small business which specializes in catered parties and corporate functions.  Dianne has also recently (2006) received a Certificate of Professional Achievement in Mediation Training from the DePaul University Center for Dispute Resolution.

As an educator and a business owner, Dianne knows firsthand the needs of the children, families, and hardworking residents of District 96.  She wants to be their voice in Springfield, taking on the state officials to make sure that the needs of the citizens of Southwest DuPage County are met.

Dianne is an energetic, resourceful, persistent, compassionate problem solver who will be an effective advocate for the many concerns of the residents of the Naperville and Aurora area. She will fight for our fair share of state resources, necessary to keep property taxes down; she will work to maintain a positive environment in which small business owners can be successful; she will propose legislation to address the traffic congestion on Rt. 59; she will be the voice of firsthand experience on all education issues; she will be a leader who listens.

Dianne is currently active in Naperville as the Secretary of the Villas of the Fields Homeowner’s Association, as an appointed member of the Fair Housing Commission for the City of Naperville, and is a member of the American Association of University Women, the League of Women Voters, and the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Dianne is the mother of two grown daughters, Lisa Brennan and Molly Dickman.

 

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