The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia announced that Diana Lind will lead the Arts + Business Council for Greater Philadelphia. As a council of the Chamber, the Arts + Business Council brings innovators from the creative and business communities together to spark new ideas, solve pressing problems, and shape an innovative and impactful region. She will officially join the Chamber in July.

Diana is an urban policy specialist and writer with extensive experience in non-profit management. She currently leads the Fels Policy Research Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania, a program that aims to connect faculty’s policy-relevant research with policymakers and the broader public.

Diana moved to Philadelphia in 2008 to become the editor in chief of Next City, a leading urbanist website and nonprofit. Over the course of the next six years, Diana also became the organization’s executive director and transformed the organization into a national nonprofit with funding from the country’s major foundations, including Rockefeller, Ford, MacArthur, Kresge, Knight, Surdna and others. She also served as a founding adviser to NewCities and received a fellowship from the Van Alen Institute. Through these experiences, she became known nationally as an expert on cities.

“Diana’s superb policy credentials and understanding of how non-profits operate will help take the Arts + Business Council to the next level of leadership in Greater Philadelphia’s extraordinary creative economy,” said Rob Wonderling, the Chamber’s President and CEO. “We are so thrilled to have someone with Diana’s extensive knowledge joining the Chamber.”

A graduate of Cornell University (B.A., English) and Columbia University (M.F.A. in Creative Writing), Diana has also held positions at Architectural Record magazine, Rizzoli International Publications, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She is the author of two books: Designing the Hamptons (Edizioni Press, 2006) and Brooklyn Modern: Architecture, Interiors & Design (Rizzoli, 2008) and her writing has been published in The New York Times, New York, and The Hill, among other venues.

Arts + Business Council Advisory Board Chair Alan Jacobson, President, Exit Design + J2 Design, said, “Diana’s creative writing talent and tremendous professional experience matched with a focus on design, makes her an ideal individual to lead the Council at this exciting time.”

Diana is also a frequent public speaker, and has given keynotes or participated in panels at more than 100 events, including major conventions like the World Urban Forum and Smart City Expo. She has received honors such as the TED City 2.0 prize, the ACLU Stand Up for Freedom award, and a funded residency at Blue Mountain Center. In addition, she serves on the board of The Philadelphia Citizen.