Meet Our New Board of Directors Member, Diana Anderson!

Please welcome Diana Anderson to the Board of Directors of Project Sleep, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of sleep health and sleep conditions.

Diana is a physician assistant currently residing in Knoxville, TN. She was diagnosed with type 2 narcolepsy at the age of 34 after experiencing symptoms for over 10 years. She attended and graduated from PA school while experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness which, for her, included sleep attacks while in lecture and lab sessions.

After receiving her narcolepsy diagnosis, Diana felt alone, having never come across narcolepsy in her many years of treating patients. Through a Google search, she found Julie Flygare and her book Wide Awake and Dreaming, which she promptly bought and read cover to cover. After finishing the book, Diana felt not-so-alone and decided that she needed to find others with narcolepsy to gain support and comfort.

This decision paved the way for Diana’s amazing advocacy efforts with Project Sleep. Since then, she has completed the Rising Voices leadership training, shared her story at advocacy and awareness events, and most recently, worked to form Project Sleep’s inaugural Expert Advisory Board, to which she serves as Co-Chair.  

Joining the Board of Directors is “honestly a dream come true for me,” said Diana. “When I first found Project Sleep, I had scoured their website, looking for opportunities to make a difference and be involved. I saw the Board of Directors page and thought, ‘wow, that would be so amazing to serve on the board and get to work with these strong advocates looking to spread awareness of sleep health and sleep disorders.’”

Diana is dedicated to raising awareness about sleep disorders, as they are often overlooked, misdiagnosed, or brushed off and can result in difficulty participating in or completing daily activities. She hopes to help others who may be undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with an impaired quality of life.

“Diana’s passion for spreading awareness with the goal of cutting delays to diagnosis and improving people’s lives is fundamental to what makes her a fantastic addition to our Board of Directors,” said Julie Flygare, J.D., President & CEO of Project Sleep. “She has quickly become a leader in the sleep space and we welcome her commitment, positivity, and drive for progress to Project Sleep.” 

Please join us in welcoming Diana to our leadership team and learn more about our Board of Directors here!