A Trailblazing Leader
By Matthew Clifford
Diana Clark In High School, Walnut Ridge High School.
Diana Ceciliani, Courtesy of The Gazette.
Diana Ceciliani, Courtesy of the Colorado Springs Veterans Day Parade Tribute.
Diana Denise Ceciliani
October 30, 1959 – August 16, 2015
Diana Denise Ceciliani was born Diana Denise Clark on October 30, 1959, in Columbus, Ohio. During her youth, she grew up in the city and attended Walnut Ridge High School, where she joined the Student Council and effected change for the better within the school.[1] She was also a member of the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society and belonged to the German club, showing a deep dedication to learning and leading. Even at this age, her dedication to creating change and blazing a path forward shone through in her deep involvement with the school, a trend that would continue throughout her life.
In 1980, at the age of 21, Diana would join the Air Force as a Security Police Specialist, and in 1981, she would marry Paul Ceciliani during her first deployment to Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.[2] Diana would remain completely dedicated to serving the Air Force for the foreseeable future, and after 14 years, she finally reached the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, the highest attainable rank in the Air Force, one which normally takes 22 years or more of service to reach.[3] Due to her speed at reaching this rank, and due to her pioneering spirit leading her to join the military at a time where very few women considered it, Diana Ceciliani was one of the first women to reach the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, and one of the fastest across any gender in the Air Force. Her meteoric rise was likely due to her leadership and her dedication to her work. Retired Chief Master Sergeant Ron Kriete, who served with her in Arizona and would later volunteer with her in civilian life, said “She knew how to lead people.”[4] Diana’s husband Paul even shared a story about how her last few months in the Air Force were spent in Saudi Arabia after she had asked her superiors for a deployment that wasn’t required.[5]
After leaving the military in 2000, Diana moved with her family to Colorado Springs, where she got to work immediately helping the local community in her own way. She was passionate about the Colorado Springs Veterans Day Parade, and she saw an opportunity to expand it. Diana rapidly ascended to the title of Executive Director of the organization in charge of the parade, using the same leadership skills and drive she had used in the military to rise so swiftly.[6] With Diana at the helm, the parade went from a parade where the veterans involved paid to march, to a parade generously funded by local sponsors, enabling it to grow from 5,000 people in attendance to 50,000. Under Diana’s guidance, Colorado Springs became the location of one of the largest Veterans Day parades in the nation.[7] After transforming the Colorado Springs Veteran Day Parade into a massive event, Diana would return to the military in 2011, taking first a security administration position at the Air Force Academy before transferring to U.S. Northern Command.[8] At the age of 55, Diana Denise Ceciliani would pass away after a fight with late-stage lung cancer,[9] and would be survived by her husband and her two children, Nick and Josh.[10] Throughout her life, Diana displayed dedication and leadership in everything she did, whether it was helping her high school, serving in the military, or running a Veterans Day parade, and in the process, made the world better for it.
Footnotes ↓
[1] “U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016,” 1977, Ancestry.com, accessed August 29, 2025, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/1265/records/673353946.
[2] “Diana Ceciliani Obituary,” Legacy.com, August 19, 2015, accessed August 29, 2025, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/gazette/name/diana-ceciliani-obituary?id=15883143.
[3] Theisen, Stephen Bajza Tiffini, 2025, “Air Force Ranks: A Complete Guide to Enlisted and Officer Ranks.” Military.Com, July 28, 2025, accessed August 29, 2025, https://www.military.com/air-force/ranks.
[4] Roeder, Tom, “Service Tuesday for Air Force Chief Who Revitalized Colorado Springs Veterans Parade,” Colorado Springs Gazette, August 23, 2015, accessed August 29, 2025, https://gazette.com/military/service-tuesday-for-air-force-chief-who-revitalized-colorado-springs-veterans-parade/article_506fde0f-d13c-5682-9d9c-5cd282c07366.html.
[5] Ibid.
[6] “Tributes,” 2025 Colorado Springs Veterans Day Parade, 2015, accessed August 29, 2025, https://cosvetsparade.org/tributes.
[7] Ibid.
[8] “Service Tuesday for Air Force Chief Who Revitalized Colorado Springs Veterans Parade.”
[9] Ibid.
[10] “Diana Ceciliani Obituary.”
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