Lieutenant Colonel Diane Baldasaro was born in North Bay, Ontario in 1976. Her fondness for aviation was sparked by her roots in a military family and furthered by the Air Cadet program, in which she spent six years with 704 “Air Force City” Squadron in Trenton, Ontario. She enrolled in the Canadian Forces in 1996 under the Regular Officer Training Plan (ROTP), graduating from the Royal Military College of Canada with a degree in Business Administration in 2000. Advancing her career as a pilot she received her military wings in 2003, and was posted to 435 (T&R) Squadron in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  It was with great enthusiasm that she commenced flying global airlift operations on the CC-130 Hercules. After qualification and employment of the three major roles of the CC-130, (Search and Rescue, Air-to-Air Refueling, and Tactical Airlift), she became an Aircraft Commander in 2006. In 2007, Lieutenant Colonel Baldasaro was posted to 436 (T) Squadron in Trenton, Ontario where she became an Instrument Check Pilot and Squadron Standards Pilot. Following multiple deployments to Afghanistan, conducting missions that supported both Canadian Forces personnel and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), she was promoted to Major in 2009.  Lieutenant Colonel Baldasaro was appointed Aircrew Leader at 436 (T) Squadron during the acquisition and delivery of the CC-130J Hercules, charged with oversight of training and integration of the initial crew force. 

With the desire to remain home more often following the birth of her two children, Lieutenant Colonel Baldasaro was posted to 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (2 CFFTS) in 2011. 2 CFFTS is the center for Canadian Forces pilot training and the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program. The majority of her tour was spent as the Chief Flying Instructor, which enabled a close working relationship with International partners, and the gratifying opportunity to contribute to the success of newly winged graduate pilots for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

In June 2014, she and her husband Major (Ret) Todd Farrell, then a CC-177 Globemaster pilot, were posted back to Trenton, Ontario where she simultaneously completed a year-long French course and the Joint Command and Staff College Program (JCSP).  Easing back into Air Mobility, Lieutenant Colonel Baldasaro assumed the role as the Deputy 8 Wing Operations Officer overseeing the finances and logistics associated with RCAF global operations. Posted in 2017 to the RCAF Aerospace Warfare Centre (RAWC), she led the Operational Planning Team for RCAF Air Test and Evaluation Rebalance; an initiative that serves to progress the RCAF forward against Strong Secure and Engaged (SSE). She is eager to rejoin Air Mobility once again as she takes command of 437 (T) Squadron. She feels very fortunate to assume this position of privlege, one that contributes back to the Quinte community that supported her in her formative years, and eager to share in its abundance with her amazing husband and two adorable girls, Anda and Taylor.