Diana Rauner

Diana Mendley Rauner is President of the Ounce of Prevention Fund, a public-private partnership that prepares children for success in school and in life. She was appointed President in January 2011.

The Ounce believes in starting early to unlock the power of human potential, advancing program and policy efforts interactively to foster systemic change. With an operating budget of approximately $60 million, the Ounce creates and supports research-based early learning programs for at-risk children and their families from before birth to age five; develops, educates, and coaches practitioners to provide more children with high-quality early education; and advocates and educates policymakers, business and civic leaders. In partnership with the Buffett Early Childhood Fund and other national philanthropies, the Ounce has built the Educare Learning Network from one birth-to-five school on the south side of Chicago to a network of 21 schools across the country, and launched the First Five Years Fund, a federally-focused advocacy and communications effort.

Rauner’s leadership of the Ounce is informed by her prior experiences in finance and early childhood research. She previously served as a Board Member and later as the organization’s Executive Director.

Rauner holds a PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Chicago, an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a BA from Yale University.