
Diane Ott Whealy has been a national leader in the heirloom seed movement and a strong advocate for the protection of the earth's rare genetic food stocks for over 36 years. Diane co-founded Seed Savers Exchange, a non-profit organization near Decorah, Iowa, that preserves heirloom plant varieties through regeneration, distribution and seed exchange. SSE is one of the largest nongovernmental seed banks in the United States with more than 13,000 members worldwide. Diane retired from SSE in 2015 and remains an advisor to the organization.