Vice President
LinkedIn
It was an easy yes, Diane McCarthy says. When longtime friend and OSB Board member Ed McGinn asked her to consider a trustee role in 2018 with Overbrook School for the Blind, she thought of another good friend and board trustee Jackie Keenan – and her son, Nicholas.
As Keenan’s friend for over 40 years, McCarthy had witnessed first-hand Nicholas’s growth as an OSB student and the success the school provides him. ``They see through the external challenges and develop the inner person,” McCarthy says of OSB’s staff. “No one else can do this like OSB. The connection and love for each child is very special.”
So, when she joined the board in 2019, she came, “Ready to learn and to serve.” With more than forty years in the financial industry, she was well suited to serve on OSB’s budget and audit committee. As Chief Financial Officer at Lincoln Investment, she brings extensive experience in fundraising, overseeing several multi-million-dollar capital campaigns. “I want to help OSB stay financially stable enough to be around for another hundred years,” she says.
On a personal note, she has been friends with two trustees for over forty years, one of whom is an OSB parent.
Beyond her four-decade friendships with McGinn and Keenan, McCarthy also has impressive board leadership experience, serving six years on the board at her children’s private school and as board treasurer at the Center for Autism before that. As an involved parent who subsequently became a board member, McCarthy was familiar with school operations. The OSB model though, she says, is unique.
“I love that we’re filling a void and entrance is based on the child’s need,’ she says. ``You can’t just pay to get your way in. It’s a program that I wish could be replicated.”
In her downtime, McCarthy enjoys, cooking, gardening, reading, and says the beach is “My happy place.” Married for over 30 years, she and her husband Jay have three adult children and recently became grandparents for the first time.
Although OSB trustees are subject to term limits, McCarthy is certain she will always remain connected to the school in some capacity. Whatever the role, she aspires to leave a positive and lasting impact.
“I hope I am remembered for stepping out of my comfort zone,’ she says. “And challenging all of us to step outside of the box.”
