The Community Service Spotlight is an opportunity for us to shine light on our attorneys who volunteer with local nonprofits. This week, we talked with Diane Puthoff, a partner in our wealth & succession planning practice who serves on the board of the Putnam.

When Diane Puthoff walks into the Putnam Museum and Science Center multiple times a month for various board and committee meetings she can feel the energy and excitement of children and their families with the surroundings and activities.  While attending board and collections meetings may not seem like what most people think about doing service, Diane is sharing her personal and legal expertise in a way that helps to protect the collections and ensure the Putnam can continue to fulfill its mission for years to come.

Diane loves the educational outreach programs the Putnam offers and the ability of the Putnam to reach all families in our community. Twenty percent of all programming is filled by students from Title I schools or those served by nonprofits like Big Brothers Big Sisters or Boys and Girls Club. Through outreach to educators and collaboration with other non-profits, the Putnam ensures it is accessible to all in our community.

Diane shares, “The Putnam brings learning to life. It’s important to us that this community amenity is just that, accessible to everyone in our community.”

Bringing learning to life at a whole new level is a brand-new Augmented Reality (AR) exhibit, “Air, Land & Sea,” which will allow visitors to interact in real-time with 3D characters and animals from Africa to the Arctic. Created using AR technology that superimposes a computer-generated image onto the real world, “Air, Land & Sea” is the first exhibit of its kind in Iowa. Diane notes “The new AR exhibit offers a chance to interact with animals like no exhibit before – it is truly extraordinary.  From Augmented Reality to the Beatles and everything in between, the Putnam is a place that sparks an interest in the world around us. I enjoy bringing my children to the Putnam, and I find myself learning something new each time I visit too.”

The history of Lane & Waterman’s involvement with the Putnam spans nearly 50 years, dating back to when C. Dana Waterman, Jr. served on its Board of Directors in the early 1970’s until 1988. This was followed by C. Dana Waterman III’s service to the Putnam from 1988 – 2014.  Since 2007, Diane has carried on the Lane & Waterman tradition of supporting the Putnam and our community and she hopes to see this institution grow in the years to come.