Diane is the chief instructor or sensei, of Sierra Dojo. Sensei Ortenzio began training in Isshin-Ryu Karate in 1979 in Harrisburg, PA. Her instructors were Senseis Jake Stoss, Don Monismith, and Jim Clark.

After first moving to Baltimore and then Philadelphia, she became a student of Master Bud Ewing and a member of the Order of Isshin-Ryu fraternity.

Sensei has attended many tournaments in her 23 years of competition, consistently placing in every one entered.  In the Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame Tournament alone, she has placed in the top three in women’s black belt kata and kumite every year except one between 1988 and 2002.  She has won the HOF Women’s Overall Grand Championship 3 times, and the HOF Women’s Kata Grand Championship and Kumite Grand Championships once each since their inception in 1996. She retired from competition in 2003.

In 1991, she created the Order of Isshin-Ryu Demonstration Team, and served as its director for three years.  Designed to promote Isshin-Ryu Karate, the Team met on a regular basis to work complex routines and attend as many public events as possible. 

In 1992 she was honored by the Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame as Female Instructor of the Year.  In 1998, she received the Spirit of Isshin-Ryu Award.  She was the first female recipient since the inception of the award in 1979. In 2003, she was inducted into both the OIKKA Hall of Fame and the International Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame.

Diane and her husband Toby moved to Gardnerville, Nevada in 1996.  She trained to become a member of Douglas County’s Search and Rescue Team, earning EMT-B and POST Investigative Mantracking licenses.  She has served on the Board of Directors, and as an operations leader.

Several times per year, Sensei Ortenzio travels to be reviewed by her sensei, as well as receive additional training in grappling arts, traditional Okinawan weapons, firearms, and personal safety. She is the current vice-president of the Order of Isshin-Ryu Board of Directors.

"Karate and the martial arts continue to inspire me to be better today than I was yesterday. I endeavor to be a good mentor for anyone who chooses the martial path. "              

- Diane Ortenzio-Cooling, 1999