Her interest in puppetry began when she received a pig puppet as a prize for winning a local essay contest in
Oakland, California. Following her studies at
Oberlin College, she interned at the
Center for Puppetry Arts in
Atlanta, Georgia. In the early 1990s, she was employed with the Jim Henson Company where she performed characters for the children's TV series,
Sesame Street. Some of her characters are
Sherry Netherland, the owner of the Furry Arms Hotel, and Phoebe, a member of the
Monster Clubhouse, from 2001 to 2003. Non-Muppet productions in which she has performed include the horror-humor TV series,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. On the show, she performed as a demon puppet in
As You Were and a living mummy hand in
Life Serial. After the series ended in 2003, Dinnean performed the puppet-like character of Angel in the episode
Smile Time along with
Drew Massey. Dinnean (as Alice Dinnean-Vernon) performed Mary on the Emmy-winning children's series, ''
Jack's Big Music Show, created by Sesame Street'' puppeteer
David Rudman. In 2007, she wrote episodes and performed characters on the
Disney Junior's children's show,
Bunnytown. She performed Cowbella in the music videos on
the Sprout channel's show,
Pajanimals. Her residence is in
Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California. From September 8–10, 2017, she was an additional Muppet performer for a live show at the
Hollywood Bowl titled
The Muppets Take the Bowl. ==Personal life==