Diana Kilinski has been an important, much-loved member of the ILCT family since almost our beginning. Sadly, Diana died last week after a brief illness.

As ILCT Founder Pat Williams reflected, “I met Diana in 2001. I was asked to do a presentation at an EAP that she was part of with a hospital medical facility in Portland, Oregon and we really hit it off. She started training at ILCT in 2003 and later was an instructor. I had great times with her over the years and visited she and her husband at their home in Lake Oswego…. we stayed in touch often. She was a lovely, lovely lady and will be missed.”

Since 2011, Diana brought her expertise as both a counselor and a coach to ILCT as a Coach Approach instructor, teaching more than 1,000 students pursing the 30-hour Board Certified Coach credential. As one student reflected “I can not tell you how much I appreciated Diana Kilinski as an instructor. I adored her personality and spirit of excellence. Her wit, sense of humor and knowledge were second to none. This experience will not be forgotten for it was life changing and enriching.”

Diana was a Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), an ACC and a BCC. Diana worked as an employee assistance management consultant for United Behavioral Health EAP and as the founder of Savvy Life Skills, providing coaching, consulting, and custom-designed training programs for organizations. She held advanced certifications from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation in Critical Incident Stress Management, Preventing Workplace Violence, and Terrorism Response and often wrote on workplace violence, trauma, and grief. And before all that, Diana spent 10 years in the New York theatre, dancing with the New York Ballet Company, appearing on Broadway, and working as a fashion model.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Dan, and will be very missed by all who worked with her at ILCT. RIP