In 2010, Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin went on a trip to Cambodia with her husband, David Diesslin, to see the work a nonprofit had been doing to promote children’s education. As the nonprofit representatives toured Deena and David around, they touted their great success in how many boys had been able to go to school. “What about the girls?” asked Deena. “What about them?” was the reply. That wasn’t good enough for Deena.

     One year later, the Heide-Diesslin Foundation was created to promote charities and nonprofits that benefit women and girls, as well as to provide funds for general and emergency humanitarian aid. The Foundation was based upon the desire to see real change in the world, while maintaining an eye for the future. The goal was to create gifts and grants that could fully fund projects that could directly benefit people in both the Heide-Diesslin Foundation’s hometown of Fort Worth, Texas and across the globe.

     Sadly, in 2011, Deena passed away, and the Foundation was renamed in her honor to the Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation. The Foundation’s Board of Directors and staff all continue to uphold the values that Deena has left behind - doing the most good with the most integrity possible to help the lives of those society can so easily leave behind.

     Now, the Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation continues to give with its two biggest gifting programs, Rising Tide and Uplift, and focuses on supporting organizations that aid women, through education and humanitarian initiatives including The Ladder Alliance, the CFP Board, and Doctors Without Borders.

Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin

     Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin was born in 1952 in Laurelton, New York. Even from a young age, she was an outspoken girl, confident in who she was and quick to defend anyone she felt was being treated unjustly. Her radiant smile and sense of humor brought a smile to everyone she met.

     Deena excelled in school, and in 1973, she received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Oakland University, followed by a master’s degree in social work from St. Louis University in 1975. It was in St. Louis that she met and married her husband, David Diesslin.

     Together, they built a life based on helping their community. Deena continued to pursue her career in social work while simultaneously acting on the board of directors for organizations such as the Arlington Girls Club, Arlington’s Women’s Shelter, and the Junior League. As their careers and businesses continued to grow and flourish, Deena and David also began giving large charitable gifts to organizations that aligned with their beliefs and values. It was their work with these nonprofits that led Deena to be inspired to continue to leave a legacy that could continue the gifts long after she and David were gone.

     Along with her parents and her husband, Deena founded the Heide-Diesslin Foundation with a mandate to give to organizations that aid women and girls, education, and humanitarian causes.

     On February 28, 2011, Deena passed away after a long battle with cancer. The Foundation she founded was renamed the Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation in her memory, as a way to remember not only her life and the work she did for her community, but also to remember her values and guiding principles. The Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation continues to value giving with intention and integrity as well as remaining dedicated to ensure that even those overlooked by society are included in the impact — to ensure that “a rising tide lifts all ships.”

David Diesslin

     David Diesslin, MBA, CFP is the surviving husband of Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin and current Chairman of the Board of the Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation.

     After getting married in 1977, David and Deena spent many years traveling together and sampling wine across the world, looking for opportunities to give back while building their careers.

     Before helping found the Heide-Diesslin Foundation (now the Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation), David was the chairman and CEO of Diesslin & Associates (now called Diesslin Group), one of the top financial advisory firms in DFW. He was listed in the Who’s Who Top 100 People of Fort Worth, worked closely with NAFTA, and served on the Certified Financial Planners Board for many years.

     His success in the financial planning and advising sector made him a natural choice to handle the DJHD Foundation’s first endowment, provided by Morton & Ruth Heide, Deena’s parents. Using his skills, he grew the endowment to over five times its size in a ten-year period.

     Under his direction, the Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation continues his late wife’s mission of providing for women and girls, often drawing on his experience and connections in the financial planning world, including an outstanding scholarship with the CFP Board.

     David now resides with his current wife in Arlington, Texas, still enjoying good food and good wine while trying to do good in the memory of Deena.