Dianna Wynn ('88 M.S.) heads one of the most influential voter education organizations in the country. That journey began with her college education.
In community college in California, she joined the speech and debate team. When she transferred to California State University Fullerton, she majored in communication.
She returned to her native Texas, pursuing a graduate degree in communication studies at UNT.
"That was influential for me and my role that I now have today as the president of the League of Women Voters of the United States," she says.
In that position, she makes sure voters have the information they need to register and when they fill out their ballot.
"Democracy depends on people being engaged at some level," Wynn says. "That's why I was very drawn to the League of Women Voters, its mission and the manner in which it does its work."
Her time at UNT served as a huge influence in her life, and the late professor John Gossett played a major role.
"He created a climate, both in the classroom or when you visited him in his office, of being open to a robust debate of ideas and issues," she says. "He was good about asking pointed questions -- challenging students, but also was supportive of students and their goals. He was just a wonderful mentor."
She was teaching undergraduate courses in communication and, while at UNT, decided to pursue a career as a college professor teaching communication at community colleges.
After graduating from UNT, she did just that, teaching at Prince George's Community College in Maryland; Midland College in West Texas; and Nash Community College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
She settled in Cary, North Carolina, with her husband, Brian Holland, who attended UNT from 1986 to 1987 and now works as an attorney. She taught for about 20 years before leaving to pursue consulting work and write college textbooks. Her book, Working in Groups, is now in its eighth edition.
It was while in North Carolina that she was drawn to the League of Women Voters for its grassroots organization and non-partisan philosophy. In its 104 years, it has never endorsed a political candidate.
The league is focused on giving voters the information they need, such as the positions of the candidates and ballot initiatives, on its website Vote411.org and through local printed guides.
Wynn started as a volunteer, registering people to vote. She joined the local board and later served as its president. For the last several years, she served on the national board and was elected president at the league's national convention in June.
"It was not my ambition nor my expectation, so I cannot tell you how both honored and humbled I am to find myself in this role," she says.
The league boasts its own CEO and staff at its national headquarters in Washington, D.C., that runs the day-to-day operations. Wynn, who is a volunteer, travels around the country -- and it can be a whirlwind.
In late September, she spoke at an event in Atlanta and then spoke to members in Florida before heading to Washington to meet with staff and the board. After that, she traveled to Pennsylvania to register voters at a community event and engage with league members.
League members register people everywhere -- community events, churches, colleges and libraries. They frequently attend naturalization ceremonies for immigrants becoming citizens, including those who have been part of the U.S. military.
"They've already served our country in such significant ways, and to watch them become citizens -- it's extraordinarily moving to see that."
The organization was born out of the women's suffrage movement, with many suffrage associations converting into league chapters after the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.
"Women have not always had the right to vote in this nation, and I always keep in mind what a privilege it is for me to easily vote."
Wynn says she's always eager to participate in every election.
"That feeling of being a voter just never leaves me. I try to vote on the very first day of early voting in my state," she says. "It's exciting to know that you can have a say in your government by simply casting a ballot and exercising your right to vote."
