Prior to becoming MHA for Conception Bay East and Bell Island in 2003, Dianne Whalen was mayor of Paradise for 18 years where she was responsible for managing and serving the need of the Town's citizens. She served on numerous committees relating to the promotion and development of the Town which helped it earn the reputation of the fastest growing Town in Atlantic Canada.

Originally from Port Blandford, Ms. Whalen has lived in Paradise for 40 years. She spent two decades in municipal politics, where she served as a director of the provincial and national federation of municipalities and served on such standing committees as Economic Development, Community Safety Crime Prevention, Northern Remote Forum and the Environmental Membership Development Committee. Ms. Whalen also served as director Avalon Region on the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities. She held the position of chair of the Finance Committee and the Municipal Training and Development Committee and was a member of the Communication Committee and Social Strategic Committee. She chaired the North East Avalon Joint Councils, and was a member of the subcommittee that rewrote the Municipalities Act. Ms. Whalen was a past Member of the Women Mentor Committee and helped develop training literature to promote gender equity in municipal government and school boards.

During that time, Ms. Whalen was also heavily involved in the community beyond municipal politics. She is a past provincial director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and past chairperson of the Paradise War Memorial Committee. She was a marriage commissioner and remains a Justice of the Peace. Ms. Whalen was employed at the College of the North Atlantic for 29 years. During part of that employment, she also held the position of President of Nape Local 7852. Ms. Whalen is one of three women appointed to Premier Danny Williams' first cabinet.

On October 30, 2007, Premier Williams appointed Ms. Whalen to serve as Minister of Transportation and Works.