Diana Gibson’s story begins in Hardyston, New Jersey, where grit and grace were woven into her life from the start. A natural athlete and performer, she spent her youth balancing soccer with dance competitions, excelling in jazz, hip hop, and gymnastics. By high school, she was a fierce midfielder on the soccer field, and her competitive drive carried her to Centenary University, where she played at the collegiate level while working toward a degree in business administration.
Her initial goal was to merge her athletic background with the business side of sports. That ambition led to an internship with the New York Red Bulls soccer team, where she worked in operations and marketing.
“The role sparked something new as I developed a passion for helping organizations grow through strategic relationships and client engagement,” says Gibson.
She graduated in 2010, ready to take her next step. With her brother already living in Arizona and her parents planning to retire there, Gibson headed to Scottsdale to begin her career in earnest.
A New Path in Business
Not long after arriving in Arizona, Gibson found herself at a small start-up called Digital Air Strike, now DAS Technology. Among the company’s first five employees, she would grow with the organization for a decade, ultimately becoming senior director of client success.
Her work was driven by a guiding principle: people, not simply numbers, drive results. Gibson built her reputation on fostering lasting relationships, ensuring clients felt valued and supported as the company scaled rapidly.
But in 2016, her path took a dramatic turn.
A Life-Changing Accident
That June, while camping on the Mogollon Rim, Gibson was involved in an ATV accident.
She was medevacked to a Phoenix trauma hospital, where surgeons fought to save her limb. When she awoke from surgery, bandaged and in shock, she learned that she had lost her right arm.
“I vowed that the loss of my arm would not define me as a person,” Gibson recalls. “I made the conscious choice to focus on my abilities, not my inabilities.”
Seventeen days later, she returned to the gym. Despite fears and doubts, she refused to let her accident stop her from pursuing independence.
Resilience and Motherhood
The years that followed tested Gibson’s resilience in new ways. She married her husband, Tyler, in 2017. In late February 2020, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic effectively shut down the world as we knew it, she gave birth to their daughter, Olivia. Later came two sons, Roman in 2023 and Luca in 2024. Raising three children under the age of six would be a challenge for any parent. For Gibson, who was determined to remain independent despite her limb difference, it became both her greatest obstacle and her proudest achievement.
“Motherhood was daunting,” she says. “I worried about whether I could do everything my children needed. But I figured it out, and it taught me strength I never knew I had.”
Her experience highlighted a gap.
“Resources for young, active people facing sudden limb loss were scarce,” she says. “Unable to find what I needed, I decided to create the resources myself.”
The Diana Adapted Foundation
In November 2022, Gibson launched The Diana Adapted Foundation (DianaAdaptedFoundation.org), a nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals with sudden limb differences or disabilities. Its mission is built on three cornerstones that mirror her own recovery:
- Adaptive Mindset: helping individuals process grief and embrace resilience after a sudden disability.
- Adaptive Fitness: promoting physical strength as a catalyst for mental confidence and well-being.
- Adaptive Independence: providing tools and strategies to navigate everyday tasks in new ways.
“Having a sudden limb difference can be your secret weapon,” Gibson says. “It reveals a strength you never knew you had and can fuel the rest of your life.”
Through coaching, resources, and community support, the foundation offers hope and practical guidance to those facing similar challenges.
A New Leadership Role
Even as she dedicated time to her foundation and her family, Gibson continued her corporate career. In 2025, she took on a new challenge, joining the award-winning REDW Advisors & CPAs as its first-ever director of client success.
In this role, she serves as the single point of contact for clients across the multidisciplinary firm, which offers services ranging from tax and accounting to cybersecurity, valuation, and wealth management. Gibson’s charge is to ensure that every client receives consistent, exceptional value, while also contributing to the firm’s strategy on retention and satisfaction.
“I knew I wanted my next chapter to be deeply meaningful. When I connected with REDW’s leadership, their mission and values immediately resonated with me. This is a firm that invests in people and truly serves its community,” says Gibson, noting the firm was among the honorees of the Champions of Change awards for Arizona businesses and a recent finalist of the Phoenix Chamber Business Excellence Awards.
Strength, Service, and Legacy
Whether guiding clients at REDW, leading her nonprofit, or raising three young children, Gibson demonstrates that limitations do not define potential. Her life is proof that mindset, determination, and compassion can turn tragedy into triumph.
“I tell people every day that if I can do it, they can too,” Gibson says. “The loss of my arm was not the end of my story. It was the beginning of something even greater.”