Forty Under 40: Diana Frieberg Plattner

Diana Frieberg Plattner was about to graduate from the University of Arkansas with a degree in journalism. As a youth, she had dreamed of being an architect, but the allure of writing news appealed to her. Even before she graduated, she started to look for a media job. She applied for more than 1,000 jobs, and there was one major problem. It was 2008, and the economy had crashed.

She went back to work at her mom’s learning center in Little Rock. She previously worked there and had experience in administrative, marketing, organizing and tutoring. In 2013, she started running her mother’s Bryant branch.

“I’ve always enjoyed working with kids … I’ve always been good with kids,” she said.

One day, a severely dyslexic student came to the center, and Plattner began to research the disorder. She learned that about one in five people cannot read easily, and there was a high correlation between literacy rates and the number of people who are incarcerated.

Plattner decided to become a certified academic language therapist.

Her sister, Meredith Frieberg Henson, was working as a certified speech pathologist, and the siblings noticed a lot of crossover in their careers. The two decided to open Lexicon Speech, Language & Reading in Fayetteville in 2017.

A typical day for Plattner starts with administrative work; sometimes, a few students will come in for therapy. The bulk of her student therapy sessions are in the afternoon when school lets out. She primarily helps to build their reading and spelling skills.

When not working, Plattner loves to travel with her husband, Ross. The couple has a toddler named Max, and she can’t wait for him to join them on their adventures. The family also has an 18-year-old dog, Marley.