Diane Wheeler

Diane Wheeler-Bast was born in Pensacola, Florida on June 2, 1947 while her father was in flight training pursuing the “wings of gold.” Florida was the first of many U.S. Navy ports that became her home and she attended many different elementary and junior high schools up and down the east coast. Her life changed forever when her family finally landed in Key West, Florida in 1961. No matter how many thousands of miles away she is, Diane has called Key West her home since the first glimpse of the little island.

Inspired to change the world one child at a time, she graduated from Illinois State University (Normal, IL) in 1975 with a BS in Elementary Education. In 2004 she received an MA in Multicultural Education from Florida Atlantic University. She has taught school over 30 years from Imperial County, California to Key West, Florida with multiple stops in between.

Diane enjoys watercolors, long hikes and camping trips, practices yoga and enjoys spending time with family. Since her very timid beginning, she has seldom met a person that remains a stranger.