Diana Hestor Hales

Diana Hestor Hales is a candidate for the District 05 seat on the Chatham County Board of Education in the November 3 2026 election. The Board of Education governs the county’s public schools, setting policy, approving budgets and overseeing the superintendent, responsibilities that align with Hales’s long‑standing focus on education and community transparency [5].

Born January 20, 1947, Hales has lived in Chatham County for 28 years, residing at 528 Will Be Lane, Siler City. She retired from North Carolina state government after a two‑decade career with the Center for Geographic Information & Analysis (CGI&A) and the Department of Cultural Resources, where she worked as a communications and outreach specialist. Her spouse, Cheyney M. Hales, also retired from state service in the Department of Cultural Resources [5].

Hales’s professional background spans public‑sector and private‑sector roles. She spent 20 years in public service, including positions at the UNC‑Chapel Hill Graduate School of Business, UNC‑TV, and CGI&A within the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). She retired in 2010 after a 17‑year tenure as the communications and outreach specialist for CGI&A, where she led GIS workshops for local officials and K‑12 teachers. Prior to her state‑government work, she held marketing, publishing, broadcasting and sales‑force management roles in the private sector [9].

Her community involvement is extensive. Hales is a member of the Rocky River Heritage Foundation, the Chatham Conservation Partnership, the Haw River Assembly, Clean Water for North Carolina, and the North Carolina Conservation Network. She participates in Siler City’s NC STEP program, helped found the Siler City Development Organization, and has served on the county panel that evaluates nonprofit funding requests. For the past three years she has attended every Chatham County Board of Commissioners meeting, publishing concise, factual summaries and issue alerts to keep residents informed about county decisions [9].

Hales’s campaign platform centers on three priority issues for Chatham County: (a) protecting surface and groundwater resources by opposing fracking, pursuing moratoriums, zoning buffers and securing the county’s share of Jordan Lake water; (b) managing growth and infrastructure by collaborating with developers, towns and the Economic Development Corporation to plan for schools, emergency services, water‑wastewater systems and transportation, and updating the Comprehensive Land‑Use Plan; and (c) increasing government transparency by revitalizing advisory committees, restoring public‑meeting schedules and ensuring deliberative decision‑making free from partisan pre‑determination. These priorities are drawn from her stated platform and reflect her experience in research, communication and advocacy [5].

Although this is Hales’s first run for elected office, she argues that her career in public‑service communications, her work with teachers through GIS education, and her ongoing efforts to inform citizens about county governance equip her to serve effectively on the Board of Education. She emphasizes a commitment to supporting teachers, improving school funding, and ensuring that educational policy decisions are made openly and with community input.

Sources

• [5] Diana Hales
• [8] Chatham County, NC - Diana Hales
• [9] Diana Hales to run against Brian Bock for District 3 Commissioner seat – Chatham Chatlist Highlights
• [11] Diana Hales Archives - Chatham Journal Newspaper