Dyanne was born in Mindoro, Wisconsin where her parents, Robert and Elizabeth farmed. When she was in first grade, Dyanne’s family sold the farm and moved to La Crosse. Dyanne was then raised in La Crosse and worked for two family owned businesses, B & B Ceramics and Just for Fun Crafts, where she, her mother, and her sister taught painting and craft classes, as well as responsibilities that included marketing, buying, and managing.

Dyanne graduated from Central High School, where she was the captain of the cheerleader squad and also selected as a delegate to attend Badger Girls State. She attended UW-L where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and Human Resources Management. From there she went on to complete her graduate degree in banking from the University of Wisconsin.

It was while she was studying in Madison that she met her husband, Roger Thorton, currently the Director of Product Management at Wolters Kluwer Financial Services. Dyanne has two children, Jesse, age 28 who lives in Milwaukee and works in sales for MPI. Jesse was involved in the Boys and Girls Club as a youth, playing basketball and baseball. Later, he would officiate for the Club and work as a youth supervisor and the Youth Development Basketball Program Director. Erik, age 26, lives in Menomonie and works for UW Stout as the Event Management Coordinator. As a youth, Erik was involved in the Club as well, playing on traveling basketball and baseball teams.

Dyanne has been very active in the community serving on numerous Boards, including A.L.M. Charities, Gundersen Lutheran Foundation, and she currently is the Chair of the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce. She has also been involved in a number of local fundraising campaigns, most notably the Mayo Emergency addition and she served as co-chair of the UW-L Memorial Sports Complex project. Dyanne has received multiple professional and community awards including La Crosse Area Realtors Association Affiliate of the Year, US Bank Five Star Volunteer Award, YWCA Outstanding Woman in Business, and she is a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow.



In the year 2000, while working as a banker, Dyanne was asked to join the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse. She is currently a very active Board member serving on several committees and most importantly, serving as Board President in 2005 and 2006. In 2008, Dyanne received the Boys and Girls Club’s President’s Award for outstanding service to the Club. Dyanne’s experience with the Club was first as a very involved mother. Her love and dedication to the Club grew because of the positive benefits she saw for her sons as well as other youth. The mission, opportunities, positive relationships, and the staff and programs at the Club, all drove Dyanne to become actively involved as a Board member.