Diane W. Whitney ’85 JD has been elected by fellow UConn alumni to serve as a member of the University Board of Trustees. Whitney’s term will run from 2025 to 2029. She fills the seat previously held by Jeanine Gouin ’87 (ENG) who is completing her service after two terms. She joins UConn’s other trustee elected by alumni, Bryan K. Pollard ’85 (CLAS) who is currently midway through his four-year term.

Whitney earned her undergraduate degree from William Smith College, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Colgate University, and her juris doctorate from UConn Law. She also taught as an adjunct faculty member at UConn Law, ran the Special Program in Law, and served as the pre-Law advisor in Storrs for six years.

She has served as a board member, and frequent chair, of many civic organizations, including Greater Hartford Legal Aid, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, and the UConn Law School Foundation. Whitney has also been the James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation and named as Connecticut’s “Lawyer of the Year” in Environmental Law by Best Lawyers in 2018, among numerous other legal accolades.

Whitney brings her strong background of service to the role of Alumni Trustee: “I am a graduate of the UConn School of Law, taught at the law school, and worked with undergraduates at the Storrs campus. If you treasure something, you take care of it. My new role on the UConn Board of Trustees allows me to take the next step in my contribution to UConn,” said Whitney.

Regarding her role in helping to guide UConn into the future, Whitney said, “I hope to be a part of making everyone more aware of how important UConn is to the state of Connecticut, the country, and the countless number of students whose lives have been changed due to the unique and incredibly valuable education UConn is able to offer. It is an honor to be part of the leadership team that will help guide UConn into the future.”

She was a practicing attorney for 40 years, serving as an Assistant Attorney General from 1988-1992, followed by many years in private practice. Whitney joined Pullman & Comley, LLC in 2003, where she practiced in the field of environmental law for over two decades until her retirement in 2025.

She and her husband, Gary Whitney, reside in Windsor.