Portrait by Ashley Landgraf
Diane Jean-Mary (she/her) is a cultural executive with a personal mission to shift society’s lens to preserve, protect, and invest in marginalized communities.
Diane is Executive Director of Black Trustee Alliance, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing racial justice in the arts. In this role, Diane oversees all aspects of BTA’s growth and organizational development—building and activating the Black trustee community, developing tools for effective leadership, and publishing insights and guidelines to inform the field at large.
A speaker at 100+ presentations, workshops, and retreats, Diane brings transformative discourse to the creative sector, exploring a range of topics such as the future of cultural experience, the makings of fandom and consumer activism, post-pandemic trends in corporate social responsibility, restorative capital and reparative justice, Black voices for the future of culture and creativity, and more.
Prior to joining BTA, Diane served as a principal strategy consultant fueling organizational capacity in the areas of brand strategy, growth scaling, and social impact. In earlier roles, Diane headed up cultural agency LaPlaca Cohen as Partner & Chief Strategy Officer, influenced corporate strategy in a first-of-its-kind music streaming analytics and partnership development team at Sony Music Entertainment, and served as a Senior Management Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton.
Diane earned a B.A. in Economics and Latin American/Caribbean Studies from Columbia University, with a concentration in Film Studies. She holds professional certifications in Positive Psychology (University of Pennsylvania), International Business (Georgetown University) and Narrative Filmmaking (FAMU Film School of Prague).
Outside of her work as a cultural leader, Diane maintains a life-long creative practice as a film writer and director.
Diane is a strong believer in finding communities that help us flourish:
Harvard Business School SVMP and MLT have given her the gift of peer leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers of color all striving for greatness.
Eric Jordan Tennis, Team WRK, and OPEX Brooklyn have coached her to find strength in challenge, go after goals that scare her and have a hell of a good time while doing so.
Ghetto Film School and FilmShop are her film families, nurturing her creative voice and providing accountability, critique, and support for her work.