Diana James is the epitome of professionalism in nursing. She is admired by all in Levine Children’s Hospital (LCH) and everyone that knows her within Atrium Health and beyond. Diana is kind, compassionate, and always goes the extra mile for others. She has this uncanny ability when in your presence to make you feel like you are the only person in the world that matters. She does this with patients, families, and with our teammates. Diana has worked at Atrium Health for 42 years. She has been a staff nurse, a nurse manager, and now a director of nursing. Despite her title, she has always been a trusted colleague and a servant leader. 

She makes it a priority to serve within the walls of our building and in our community. She is always engaged in community benefit activities, fundraisers, and volunteering, and encourages the teams and her entire family to do this as well. She is actively involved in our community and was active on the board of KinderMourn for many years. KinderMourn is a not-for-profit organization that provides hope for bereaved parents, grieving children, and teens by offering support and counseling programs, creating awareness of bereavement issues, and empowering the community to effectively assist those who have suffered an unthinkable loss. She has been an asset to this organization since they were founded in 2002. She views this service as an honor and her duty to give back to those in need. 

It is also not unusual for Diana to be found at the grocery store pulling along 2 grocery carts, with heaps full of staples – and some treats for the children and then meets with the family to provide for their needs. Few know of these gestures of kindness because she feels that this is the right thing to do, and no one needs to know. Diana also sees LCH as part of her community and is the epitome of a servant leader. Skip Prichard (CEO and business leader) said, “Servant leaders care about people’s lives, not just their jobs. Servant leaders lead with others in mind.” There are 9 qualities of a servant leader: 1. Values diverse opinions 2. Cultivates a culture of trust 3. Develops other leaders 4. Helps people with life issues (not just work issues) 5. Encourages 6. Sells instead of tells 7. Thinks you, not me 8. Thinks long-term and 9. Acts with humility. These qualities perfectly describe Diana. 

She is extremely proud of the nurses and leaders she has nurtured over the years – many of whom she helped to develop have moved into leadership roles across the organization – and they still come back to her for mentoring and guidance. She is seen as a valuable teammate to her peer leaders – they come to her for advice and support, knowing that what she offers them may not be exactly what they want to hear, but it will be truthful, thoughtful, and delivered with a heart of gold. Diana handles each person, each patient, and each family member with more grace than I have ever seen. Diana is beyond deserving of the Lifetime DAISY award as she has dedicated her life to a lifetime of service as a nurse and an amazing human.