Prior to Advancement Project, she was the Managing Attorney in the Washington, D.C. office of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

She regularly comments on education, voting rights and race on networks including MSNBC, CNN, and BET.

In 2004, Dianis sued to stop[5] the Republican National Committee from engaging in potential voter suppression tactics in Ohio.

She has advocated against the school-to-prison pipeline, authoring several reports on the issue including: "Suspended: The Devastating Consequences of Zero Tolerance and School Discipline" and "Derailed: The Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track".

In 2014, Dianis was named a Black Male Achievement Social Innovator by the Leadership & Sustainability Institute.