EDUCATION North High School; Bachelor of Arts in political science, Indiana University, Bloomington (2004); juris doctor with a concentration in litigation, Western Michigan University’s Cooley School of Law, Lansing (2007)
HOMETOWN Evansville
RESUME Vanderburgh County Prosecutor (2023-present); section chief, Government Litigation Section, Indiana Attorney General’s Office, Indianapolis (2017-22); attorney, Paganelli Law Group, Indianapolis (2017); executive director and associate general counsel, Board of Depositories, Treasurer of State’s Office, Indianapolis (2015-17); prosecuting attorney, Prosecution Assistance Unit, Securities Division, Secretary of State’s Office, Indianapolis (2010-15); assistant attorney, Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, Joliet, Illinois (2008-10); associate attorney, Stavros Law Offices, P.C., Wheeling, Illinois (2007-08)
FAMILY Husband Kyhle; daughter Francesca, 5 months
Diana Moers was destined to come home. She built her legal career in the Chicago, Illinois, area, and then Indianapolis before returning to the River City to run for Vanderburgh County Prosecutor, believing the job needed to be done better. Winning election as a Republican in 2022 — a victory that included a primary upset over incumbent Nick Hermann — the county’s first woman prosecutor (and one of its youngest) manages a 72-person office, including 23 attorneys. “Seeking justice and keeping the community safe are why I do what I do — it’s the best job in the world,” she says.
HOW MANY CASES DO YOU TRY YOURSELF, AND HOW MANY DO YOU ASSIGN TO STAFF?
We file about 9,000 new cases per year. Obviously, I am not trying all those myself! All my cases now are murder cases. I’ve tried two so far. … Typically, we have two attorneys at every trial. It’s a group effort, and unfortunately there are enough murder trials to go around.
WHAT ARE YOUR OFFICE’S OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES?
Child support collection is a big operation. We also do tons of community outreach. Part of my job is to work toward not only holding people accountable, but crime prevention efforts as well. I work closely with the child advocacy center at Holly’s House. And if there’s legislation coming that’s going to adversely impact the office, I lobby against that. For example, we have a victim’s assistance unit, and the federal government was going to cut funding. So, I went to Washington, D.C., and I talked to our legislators about that. … Unfortunately, I don’t get to try more cases, but it’s awesome to be able to run the office and make sure everybody has everything they need. I really enjoy that part of it.
HOW SAFE WOULD YOU SAY EVANSVILLE IS?
Generally, I think Evansville is a safe place to live and work. But my opinion is going to be skewed because I see every single crime that happens. Our murder rate is down so far. The police, the sheriff, and I all work hard on that. What I can control is how we’re charging cases and taking them to trial. … We do a lot of work on training and collaborating to make sure the trial attorneys are up on the law. It’s also our duty to make sure the police department knows about that. July 1 is always a big date, because the laws change. We do training during roll call with the police department — that’s another thing that I do personally. Those are always grueling days, because I want to hit every roll call myself and give the motor patrol a chance to talk to me and ask questions.
DO YOU MEET WITH CRIME VICTIMS? HOW DO YOU NAVIGATE THOSE SITUATIONS?
It’s both rewarding and difficult. One of the best parts of the job is that we get to step up and find justice for a family. … Justice isn’t ever going to bring anyone back. But I do think it’s an important part of the healing process for a lot of families. … To be sure, a lot of them have been through something terrible, and they’re coming to my office in the middle of that. … From what I’ve seen, they just want their loved one’s story to be told, and someone to fight for them.
