Conservative Featured Voice: Dianne Costa

Dianne Salvagno Costa is the Chairman of the Latino National Republican Coalition for North Texas.

Education

Texas Woman’s University
Bachelor of Sciences Magna Cum Laude
Major: Family Studies; Minor: Government

• McNair Scholar graduate Texas Women's University
  Through her McNair Scholar Program, Mrs. Costa was invited to present her research paper on Mediation at the University of Puerto Rico.  
• Grant recipient from the Kellogg Foundation to participate in the Women in Leadership program of Gender, Globalization and Opportunities for Leadership in Democracies Forum at the University of Texas at Dallas. 
• Mediation Certification program from Texas Woman’s University in 
  • Conflict Resolution 
  • Civil/Divorce Mediation 
  • Advanced Family Mediation 
  • Advanced Communication in Neurolinguistics 
• Mrs. Costa is a fully accredited Certified Family Life Educator since 2002, mastering all ten components of Families and Individuals in Societal Contexts, Internal Dynamics of Families, Human Growth and Development Over the Life Span, Human Sexuality, Interpersonal Relationships, Family Resource Management, Parent Education and Guidance, Family Law and Public Policy, Professional Ethics and Practice, Family Life Education Methodology
• Certificate of Training in Collaborative Family Law Interdisciplinary Training 
• Certificate in Who Will Speak for Me?
  Child Abuse and Neglect Cases 
• Certified First Responder trained in the Mitchell Model

Membership:

Mrs. Costa is a full member of the Texas Association of Mediators (TAM), Texas Mediator Credentialing Association with the title of Distinguished Mediator, Board member of The Texas Council on Family Relations, The National Council on Family Relations, The Denton Republican Women’s Club, Charter Member of the Highland Village Rotary Club, and Chair of the Latino National Republican Coalition for the North Texas Chapter.

Business:

Mrs. Costa is owner of Counseling, Education & Mediation Associates of North Texas (CEMA of North Texas, LLC) and maintains offices in Denton and Flower Mound.

From her Denton office she is appointed by the courts and serves the legal community as a mediator, parenting plan coordinator, and social study provider. She also is appointed to serve the courts in the area of family stabilization with the parents and children of divorce and high conflict modifications. She serves in assessing families for access and visitation and child maltreatment to bring stabilization to these high conflict cases.

Community Service:

Dianne has volunteered as a motivational speaker at high schools in Ft. Worth and Dallas, where her presentations encourage minority students to complete high school and challenges them to acquire college degrees. She has also been a speaker for "Women in Recovery" (in the Denton facility) where she speaks on relationship issues and healing. She presents many of the programs in Spanish.

She has served the city, region and metroplex in a variety of areas. She has been elected to the Highland Village City Council for eight years where she has served as Deputy Mayor Pro Tem and Mayor Pro Tem. She was elected in 2006 and 2008 to two year terms as the city’s Mayor. Ms. Costa was appointed to serve as a member on the Texas Municipal League Resolutions Committee and the Committee on General Government. She was recently appointed to serve on the National Multi Model Transportation Steering Committee for the United States. She recently was appointed 1st Alternate for the City of Highland Village to the Denton County Transportation Authority. Dianne Costa is also a Board member of VOCES Action.

She and her husband Dennis Costa reside in Highland Village. She has been blessed with the honor of having raised seven sons and two daughters and now enjoys being a part of the lives of her 14 grandchildren.

Dianne Costa, as of May 2011, has filed to run for U.S .Congressional Seat in North Texas. Her website is www.diannecostaforcongress.com

“For years I have tried to encourage local, state and national leaders that they need to take the Latino population seriously. We are now at a place in history where it can no longer be ignored or delayed. They share the conservative values of the Republican Party, it is time that we build the bridge that forever unites us.”

Dianne Costa as Mayor with grandchildren:

Dianne Costa at the Capitol: