Remembering Diane Gage Lofgren

Dear Fellow Page Members,
 
I have some more sad news to share with you today. Our dear friend and Page member, Diane Gage Lofgren, passed away on Saturday at age 67 after suffering for several years with frontotemporal dementia.

Diane was truly and genuinely a joy to know. As a member of the Page Board of Trustees and the co-chair of the Membership Committee, she was engaged, active and determined to make a difference. She was always cheerful and looking for ways to get things done. 
 
Mary Elliott, who retired last year as our VP of Member Engagement, remembers a time when our AV support for Diane’s presentation with several videos was less than perfect. When Diane approached the AV table afterward, Mary remembers, “There was no blame; she just wanted to know how she could have made the presentation better for us to execute. It was such a pleasure to work with her.”
 
Diane was also incredibly well rounded. Although an extraordinarily successful CCO and CMO, she also was the author of nine books and scores of magazine articles on personal and business relationships. One of her most popular books, with co-author Margaret Bhola, was Women I Want to Grow Old With, a book designed to help women be intentional about making and sustaining female friendships. The authors were passionate about encouraging women to learn from each other and to strengthen their safety net of female friends. 
 
In their blog, the co-authors wrote, “How would you answer the question, ‘If all hell broke loose in your life, who are three female friends would you call?’ Stating how life really is and then looking at what we really want allows us to grow and live our lives by design, not convenience.”
 
Here are some tributes from fellow Page members.
 
From Kimberley Goode of Blue Shield of California:
Diane’s many contributions to the health care industry as a chief communications officer and chief marketing officer are significant and long lasting. An important part of her legacy will be the many men and women who benefitted from her commitment to identifying and developing talent as they built successful careers of their own.
 
From Christian Stenrud of Teladoc Health:
Diane was one of the kindest souls I ever had the fortune of meeting. She cared dearly about the people on her team, reveling in their successes and picking them up when they fell down. She loved what she did, loved the people she worked with and we loved her back. Perhaps the greatest lesson I took from Diane was how to handle life’s setbacks with dignity, grace and joy. She was the perpetual optimist who found her strength in deep relationships with her family, her friends and God. I am not only a better communications leader, but a better human being for having called Diane my friend.
 
From Holly Potter of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation:
I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have worked with and learned from Diane. Her kindness and passion were contagious. She inspired us to not only be better communicators, but better people.
 
From Sally Benjamin Young of Lundbeck:
Diane and I first bonded over our mutual decades-long commitment to our careers in healthcare, but I was quickly struck by her passion for the communications profession, for the organizations where she worked, and as a mentor. She led with a strong sense of values and lived as a strong champion of others, especially women. Through her numerous books and through her relationships, she encouraged women to learn from and support each other. Diane left this world far too soon, but her contributions and her words will live on for years to come. 
 
From Barbara Fagan Smith of ROI Communication and Living ROI:
Diane was a great partner on the membership committee. She brought me in as co-chair several years ago and I enjoyed our time working together. I’m so sad to hear this news of her passing.
 
From Ellen Ryan Mardiks of Golin:
Diane was a great client. She was entirely genuine at all times, which encouraged others to follow suit. That’s how she got their best. Diane didn’t need to command attention. She earned it with quiet confidence and respect for the people around her.

Diane was SVP, CCO for Kaiser Permanente for eight years. There, she was responsible for the stewardship of the Kaiser Permanente brand to position the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals in the hearts and minds of key stakeholders. She also served as executive sponsor for service quality to actuate the brand in the lives of Kaiser Permanente employees and members.

Both before and after KP, Diane was a senior leader at Sharp HealthCare, the leading hospital system in San Diego, first as SVP of Marketing and Communications, and later as CMO. Earlier, she was vice president, customer & market strategy, at Catholic Health Initiatives in Denver.

In addition to her service on the Page board, Diane also served on the board of PRSA.
 
Page is better organization for having had Diane as a member. She will be missed dearly by all those whose lives she touched.

Best,

Roger Bolton
President, Page