Diana M. Steakley Freeman
About Diana M. Steakley Freeman
Diana M. Steakley Freeman is a Senior Software Engineer at the Obama Foundation, with a background in software development and data analysis. She has contributed to various research publications and leads technical projects, including the modernization of the CMS for Obama.org.
Work at Obama Foundation
Diana M. Steakley Freeman has been serving as a Senior Software Engineer at the Obama Foundation since 2021. In her role, she leads the software design and delivery of immersive storytelling exhibits for the Obama Presidential Center. She also coordinates the Black Staff Employee Resource Group and acts as a team lead for the product and technology arm of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Core Committee. Additionally, she serves as the technical lead for the front-end delivery of a content management system (CMS) modernization project for Obama.org, which launched in early 2023.
Education and Expertise
Diana M. Steakley Freeman earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University, where she studied from 2012 to 2015. Her academic background has equipped her with a solid foundation in software engineering and data analysis. She has applied her educational expertise in various roles, including as a Research Web Developer and Data Analyst at Illinois State University, where she worked from 2014 to 2015.
Professional Background
Diana M. Steakley Freeman has a diverse professional background in software engineering and data analysis. Before joining the Obama Foundation, she worked at Ascent as a Software Engineer from 2019 to 2021. Prior to that, she served as a Systems & Web Developer at PsyberGuide from 2017 to 2019 and as a Research Support Analyst at University of Chicago Medicine from 2016 to 2017. Her early career included roles such as Assistant System Designer at RJR Communications Group in Jamaica and various positions at Illinois State University.
Research Contributions
Diana M. Steakley Freeman has contributed to several research publications during her career. She participated in a 2016 research publication on social exclusion in everyday life, which was included in a book by Springer. Additionally, she co-authored a publication in the Journal of Affective Disorders in 2020, focusing on perceived barriers to treatment based on web browsing behavior. She also contributed to a 2018 study on social desirability and deceptive reporting in intermittent explosive disorder, published in Psychiatry Research.