Diane Meyer Simon (born Diane Irene Meyer) is an

environmental activist The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists advoc ...

, founder and leader of

Global Green USA Global Green is the American affiliate of Green Cross International, an international non-governmental organization founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993 to "foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future."� ...

, member of the

Green Cross International Green Cross International is an environmentalist organisation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993. Today, member organisations are in 30 countries. Its primary mission is to "respond to ...

's (GCI) Honorary Board, and politician. She is from

Nappanee, Indiana Nappanee is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, Elkhart and Kosciusko County, Indiana, Kosciusko counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,648 as of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. Census and had grown to 6,913 by the 2 ...

. She is the former wife of Indiana real estate billionaire Herbert Simon.Diane Meyer Simon website
retrieved March 17, 2013

Early life and education

Meyer was an only child, born in 1946 to a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

father and a

Swiss French Swiss French (french: français de Suisse or ') is the variety of French spoken in the French-speaking area of Switzerland known as Romandy. French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, the others being German, Italian, and Ro ...

mother. Her father worked as a teacher, an Air Force Pilot and medical doctor; and her mother worked as a teacher and a nurse. Simon earned B.A. in Psychology at

Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communic ...

in 1968. She went to Moscow to attend an international environment conference and met with

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

. After this conference, she became the GCI's Honorary Board. Simon also became

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

's ''"Woman of the Year"'', and moved to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in 1989.

Political career

As a politician, she has worked as an administrator, political staffer for Senator

Birch Bayh Birch Evans Bayh Jr. (; January 22, 1928 – March 14, 2019) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1963 to 1981. He was first elected to office in 1954, when he won election to the Indiana ...

of Indiana, and as an organizer in the environmental field. Simon now lives in

Montecito, California Montecito (Spanish for "Little mountain") is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California.McCormack, Don (1999). ''McCormack's Guides Santa Barbara and Ventura 2000''. Mccormacks Guides. p. 58. . Located ...

Personal life

Meyer has been married twice. Her first husband was N. Stuart Grauel, the then Deputy

Secretary of State of Indiana The Secretary of State of Indiana is one of five constitutional officers originally designated in Indiana's State Constitution of 1816. Since 1851, it has been an elected position. The Secretary of State oversees four divisions, and is the third ...

. In 1981, Meyer married billionaire shopping mall developer Herbert Simon. They divorced in 2000. They have three children: *Sarah Elisabeth Meyer Simon is an investor who lives in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

; *Rachel Mariam Meyer Simon Stuart is an artist and philanthropist living in

with her husband Hale Stuart and daughter Zara; and *Asher Benjamin Meyer Simon is an artist in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

References

External links

Diane Meyer Simon official webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Diane Meyer American environmentalists American women environmentalists Living people American people of Swiss descent American people of French descent Butler University alumni Simon family (real estate) 21st-century American women People from Nappanee, Indiana 1946 births