Didier began working at the University of Michigan in 1977, and held a variety of positions there over the next 22 years, In 1987, Didier was elected president of the
Association for Educational Communications and Technology, In 1993, Didier was the first woman elected president of the Ann Arbor
Rotary Club, a branch of the international
service club whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. In the fall of 1993, Didier resigned her position as director of information resources in the
Kresge Business Administration Library to become
associate dean of the
Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. As associate dean, Didier oversaw a US$29 million budget and 55-member staff. In 1996, Didier became an
adjunct associate professor in the
University of Michigan School of Information and director of Residential and Research University Programs, Academic Outreach, In her position as director of Residential and Research University Programs, Didier oversaw expansion of the library information systems, spring/summer programs, and the university's distance education programs, including its intellectual property guidelines. In November 1997,
Provost Nancy Cantor appointed Didier as interim director of the entire Academic Outreach program. A few months prior, the Michigan Women's Foundation and
Crain's Detroit Business added Didier to a database that helped companies find qualified women for their boards of directors. That led to Didier's October 1997 appointment as a board member of
Compuware, a
Detroit, Michigan based software company with products aimed at the information technology departments of large businesses. At the time, Compuware had more than US$800 million in sales and earned nearly US$100 million in 1997. Didier's work with the University of Michigan's library information systems gave her a unique perspective that "added to Compuware's technology-focused board." In addition, the
University Continuing Education Association in Washington D.C. appointed Didier that same month to a three-year term on the Learning and Technologies Commission, then one of three national commissions guiding the future directions of providing continuous
open and distance education learning opportunities in the United States for adults and non-traditional students. a
public university co-founded by
Matilda Dodge Wilson and
John A. Hannah whose campus is located in central
Oakland County, Michigan. In March 2000, Didier was appointed to Oakland University's Information Technology Strategic Planning Task Force, where she developed plans for the university's new Information Technology Institute. About a year later, Didier was elected president of the
Michigan Library Association, a United States
professional association headquartered in
Lansing, Michigan that advocates for libraries in Michigan on behalf of the state's residents. As the representative of the Michigan Library Association, Didier was appointed to the board of trustees of the
Library of Michigan, In 2003, Didier was elected chair of the Library of Michigan Board of Trustees. In 2004, Didier was elected to the board of directors of the
Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the
American Library Association that serves as a professional association of academic librarians and other interested individuals. However, Didier withdrew before the interviews for the public library position after learning that the position of director of the
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum was available due to the retirement of former director Dennis Daellenbach. Four months later, Didier was named as the director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. On the first day of her job, U.S. President
Gerald Ford told Didier that, "I stand ready to assist you in any way," for which Didier thanked him and asked about the museum's collection of footballs signed by former
Ohio State coach
Woody Hayes.
At the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum The
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum opened to the public in September 1981. It houses documents, audio-visual materials, and artifacts on the life, career, and presidency of Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States. When
archivist John W. Carlin selected Didier as director in January 2005, President Ford announced, In singling out Didier's ideas on how to use online technology to expand educational outreach efforts at the library and museum as a main reason for the appointment, the
Archivist of the United States noted that Didier was someone with a "wealth of experience as a leader in higher education in Michigan and as an executive leader facilitating outreach and alliances in support of learning programs." At the time, Didier wanted to raise the museum's profile, facilitate distance learning and research, and display museum exhibits at the library and make available library resources at the museum, given that the museum and library are located approximately apart.
Hank Aaron to the White House on October 2, 1975, used in the Ford complex's 2005 "Play Ball Mr. President!" exhibit. In May 2005, Didier had 4-foot (1.2-meter), blue neon letters installed on the museum to make the museum more visible across the
Grand River running next to the museum. Although the sign was about 12 times larger than allowed by the city's zoning ordinance, the museum was exempt from local zoning ordinances as a federal governmental installation. She noted that the exhibit was conceived in connection with an upcoming
2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at
Comerica Park in Detroit. In February 2006,
Grand Valley State University Didier delivered the keynote address at an event that honored the accomplishments of local women. prior to Kissinger's October 24, 2006 talk at the library In the years 2001 to 2004, just before Didier took over as director at the Ford Presidential Library and Museum, the complex experienced a significant drop in attendance, largely as a result of a 2001 to 2003 remodel. In a 2006 article, Didier addressed the prior 2001 to 2004 low attendance issue and noted it additionally was a result of the struggling local
Michigan economy, where people had less money for
discretionary spending. In December 2006, President
Gerald Ford died, and Didier commented on Ford's views of the complex, stating, "[Ford] wanted both the Library and the Museum to have vibrant educational programs, and he delighted in the thousands of archival research visits made by University of Michigan students and other scholars over the years." She also agreed with Ford's desire that the library and museum be living institutions rather than warehouses preserving documents and artifacts as monuments to Ford. In August 2007, Didier was appointed to a selection panel of judges to choose the official symbol of the
100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. Two months later in October 2007, Didier was filmed in two-hour live broadcast on
C-SPAN that featured the 21 million pages of documents and 500,000 audio-visual materials in Gerald Ford's library. In the C-SPAN series, entitled "
Presidential Libraries: History Uncovered," Didier and supervisory archivist David Horrocks showed off special documents that have been used by researchers like Bob Woodward and artifacts such as Ford's
Eagle Scout medal and the
Profile in Courage Award he received at the
Kennedy Library in 2001. In October 2010, Didier received the University of Michigan Distinguished Alumni Award. The award, given to "alumni who have at least 25 years of professional service in the information professions and have made outstanding contributions," honored Didier for her role in introducing a broad agenda that expanded the programs and feature exhibits of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum as well as increased the visibility of the library and museum both locally and nationally. The university also highlighted her work to advance women in leadership roles by participating in organizations such as International Women's Forum and Michigan's Network for Women Leaders. In October 2012, Didier received the Rotary Club's Distinguished Service Award, the club's highest award. ==Personal==