Diane Ragsdale is a promovendus associated with the cultural economics department within the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communications (ESHCC). Her research centers on the evolution of the nonprofit regional theater sector in the US in response to various economic forces since the early 1980s.

She is a frequent panelist and speaker at performing arts conferences within and outside of the US. Prior to moving to the Netherlands, Ragsdale served as associate program officer in the Performing Arts Program at one of the foremost funders of the arts and humanities in the US, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, overseeing theater and dance grants. Before joining the Foundation in 2004, Ragsdale served as managing director of the contemporary performing arts presenting organization, On the Boards (Seattle, Washington) and executive director of a destination music festival in the resort town of Sandpoint, Idaho, leading both organizations through successful turnarounds. Prior work also includes stints at several film and live arts festivals.Ragsdale has worked as a consultant for both nonprofits and for profits, as adjunct faculty at Boise State University (in the Department of Theater Arts), and, early in her career, as an actor, director and independent producer. She holds a Master in Fine Arts from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tulane University in New Orleans. Her article "Recreating Fine Arts Institutions," was published in the fall 2009 issue of the /Stanford Social Innovation Review/.

During the 2011-2012 academic year she will teach Creative Economy and Creative Organizations (as part of the minor in Creative Economy).