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Member Spotlight by Jennifer Polzin When Diane Miller Esch was a swimming instructor some years back, she taught students as young as three months old how to kick, paddle, and float. But, it was the adult beginners that proved most fascinating and inspiring. One of those students, an 82-year old woman who wanted to learn how to swim, is still an inspiration to Diane. The woman was frozen by her fear of water and had been for as long as she could remember. At 82, she decided it was time to move past that fear. “I’ll never be too old to learn something new,” she told Diane. As Diane taught the woman to float, and watched her become more and more comfortable in the water, those words came back to Diane. She might have taught the older woman to swim, but that lady had given her swimming instructor a life lesson and a new perspective: the only failure in life is failing to try. And it was with that idea, and that student’s tenacity in mind, that Diane forged a path to her present happiness and success. Diane’s career path started with international law. That path was no accident. Her interest in an international career started early. While attending Edina High School, she became a Rotary exchange student in Sweden and then pursued a B.A. in International Relations at the University of Minnesota and graduated cum laude. There, she took a summer to do marketing research and analysis at the largest corporation in Finland. She also took part in the French Study Program at the University of Laval in Quebec, Canada. Through these experiences, Diane saw the world economies becoming more intricately intertwined. She witnessed a global economy breeding multinational corporations–a situation that posed serious legal questions which Diane found fascinating. This realization was a turning point. Diane began studies at Chicago-Kent College of Law. “Law challenged me in a way I never expected,” she said. “It fed my passion for international business and allowed me to really work one on one with clients tackling real problems.” International law was simply a starting point—it would not remain her only area of interest or expertise. In working with The Quaker Oats Company, Land O’Lakes and The Pillsbury Company, Diane also learned to love the strategic give and take of negotiation on the domestic front. During law school, she clerked at The Quaker Oats Company. And, upon her 1996 graduation, she was invited to stay for one year to help complete the sale of the Snapple business. She was the first clerk at Quaker ever offered such an opportunity right out of law school. She relocated with husband Dave to the Twin Cities to work for Land O’ Lakes. In her time at Land O’Lakes, Diane began to develop expertise in domestic and international contract negotiations for vendor, information technology, intellectual property, joint venture and mergers and acquisitions contracts. She loved the challenge of negotiating and drafting contracts, handling transactional work, and creating foreign corporations and joint ventures. And her coworkers took notice. She won the highest honors for notable work with the mergers and acquisitions team: The President’s Award. Looking for additional challenges, she joined the legal team at Pillsbury and continued with General Mills after the merger. During that time, she won the Eagle Award for her efforts in the completion of General Mills’ acquisition of Pillsbury. It was at General Mills that her career path took a sudden and unexpected shift: Diane was one of hundreds laid off from General Mills in Spring 2002. She is now refocusing her career and life goals. She has no doubt that the right door will open and a new career opportunity will lead her to new legal challenges. “I’m searching for the next right opportunity,” Diane says. “There are so many exciting possibilities to explore for the next step in my career. I’ve got solid experience and skills to bring to the table, but I also have a passion for my work. I’m constantly growing and discovering new challenges and areas of interest. Diane is taking the time to search for the right law position, but has been savoring the additional family time. Since the birth of her daughter Elizabeth, Diane has keenly realized the importance of being not only a career role model for Elizabeth but also a family role model. She has also been focused on continuing to be a contributing member of the legal community, serving on boards, and giving her time to MWL. As a second-year Board member and Strategic Planning Committee member, Diane has been exploring some cutting edge possibilities that would move MWL towards the future, particularly in organizational priorities and the mission of MWL. In addition to her work on the Strategic Planning Committee, Diane served two years as a co-chair on the Membership Committee, helped to create and implement the Attorney to Attorney Mentor program, and even redesign the newsletter. With MWL’s emphasis this year on life balance, Diane Miller Esch is a great role model and mentor for us all—and she’s still not too old to learn something new. “This has been a year of passion and discovery for me,” she says. “There’s so much I want to do – in my career and with my family. Every day, I wake up inspired. I can’t wait to see what comes next.”
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