A shared passion for public service drew Dan and Diane Meyer together. After Diane’s unexpected and early passing in November 2023, Dan knew it was also the best way to honor his wife of 54 years.

Diane grew up in a Washington, DC, household where public service was expected, Dan says. That inspired her to pursue a career working with various social initiatives such as Job Corps and Model Cities. She also created a system that helped more than 500 hospitals around the world forecast nursing care needs.

Dan, meanwhile, was raised in Brooklyn, where his parents instilled in him the habit of helping those around him. He joined the Boy Scouts, which unlocked a world outside of New York City through camping, hiking, and service. Dan channeled his empathy and sense of adventure into a career in forestry and Outward Bound, working to manage natural resources on behalf of rural communities and sharing his love of the outdoors with young people.

Inspired by a deep admiration for Sonia Sotomayor, associate justice of the US Supreme Court, and her story of perseverance, Diane sought to help alleviate obstacles for the next generation of women leaders. She established through a gift in her estate plans a scholarship at AU—an institution Diane admired for its reputation as a training ground for purpose-driven public servants. 

While the Diane Alexander Meyer Fund to support first-generation female students in the School of Public Affairs was originally set to be awarded after the couple passed away, Dan decided to honor Diane now, funding the scholarship using a charitable IRA rollover to advance part of their planned gift to AU. “I want to tell her story,” he says. 

American University is grateful for the generosity of Dan and Diane, whose commitment to public service and cultivating the next generation of women leaders will live on through the Diane Alexander Meyer Fund.

For information on how your charitable estate plan can create a legacy at American University, contact Seth Speyer, executive director of planned giving, at 202-885-3411 or speyer@american.edu; or visit american.edu/plannedgiving.