Diane Kalen-Sukra is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and internationally recognized civic leadership expert, named a global Top Thinker in Local Government in 2026 by the United Kingdom’s leading organization supporting local government policy and practice, the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU).

 

She brings more than two decades of experience in public service and civic leadership, including her award-winning tenure as a city manager in British Columbia. Diane is an advisor to civic leaders, media commentator and is founder of Kalen Academy, an online civic leadership institute.

 

Diane was born with the gift of encouragement and desire for everyone to thrive and meet their potential. Her core belief is that as social beings, we flourish in healthy sustainable communities where good governance, servant leadership and compassionate culture support the well-being of all. 

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Over the past 30 years, this passion has taken Diane across the country in senior leadership roles in countless communities as CBC television producer, documentary maker, columnist and blogger, entrepreneur, community organizer, national representative of Canada's largest public sector organizations, to municipal Chief Administrative Officer.​

 

She also spearheaded and hosted the inaugural Global Civility Summit 2024: Tackling Toxicity, Cultivating Civility which brought together 450 of civic leaders from hundreds of cities to share strategies to bridge divides, enhance civil discourse & renew civic culture. The insights and collective wisdom from this groundbreaking event will be featured in her upcoming book, Lead with Civility: A Handbook for Uncivil Times, available for pre-order here. 

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Diane’s published works include Save Your City and Civic Resilience, as well as regular columns in Municipal World and Public Sector Digest. Her most popular book, Save Your City: How Toxic Culture Kills Community and What to Do About It calls for a revival of civic values and civic education as key to fostering the type of culture that can sustain us, our democracy and our planet.

 

Her newsletter Civic Wisdom, shares timeless principles and modern insights for current and aspiring leaders, as well as expert interviews and resources.

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Join Diane, host of the Cultivating Civility podcast, as she engages in insightful conversations with civic leaders and sages who are spearheading efforts to bridge divides, enhance civil discourse, and renew civic culture. Tune in on your favorite platform.

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Diane is an educator and certified culture transformation consultant with the Barrett Values Centre, certified Emotional Intelligence EQ-i 2.0 practitioner and certified compassionate integrity and ethics facilitator with Life University's Centre for Compassion, Integrity & Secular Ethics.

 

She  is a graduate of University of Toronto's Trinity College political science and philosophy specialist undergraduate program and holds a Master's Degree from York University in political science. She has municipal law and administration certification from the University of Victoria and is a Certified Municipal Clerk with the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.