Ms. Hom-Diamond Departs from School Communications

On Friday, September 21, Ms. Hellen Hom-Diamond, chief communications officer, moved on from the Hotchkiss community to pursue a new challenge in Washington, D.C. Ms. Hom-Diamond will join the Sidwell Friends School as their Chief Communications Officer.

Ms. Hom-Diamond joined Hotchkiss in 2013. She previously served as the Director of Campus Communications at Yale University, where she worked on sexual misconduct response and prevention, senior leadership communication, and Yale’s emergency management team. Prior to that, Ms. Hom-Diamond worked at UCLA as the Director of Online Communications with their Alumni Association.

Ms. Hom-Diamond produced the revamped structure of  the Hotchkiss website. The inclusion of dorm-duty calendars, dining hall menus, and more video content can all be attributed to her. She worked closely with Ms. Heather Perrenoud, dean of residential life, to create dormitory newsletters addressed to parents each fall, winter, and spring. Ms. Perrenoud said, “I think she really elevated the importance and impact that good communication systems in a school can have.”

Ms. Hom-Diamond also oversaw The Hotchkiss Magazine, which is sent out to all parents and alumni, as well as Hotchkiss Happenings, a summary of events and news emailed to the current school community, parents, and alumni at the end of each month. She helped to increase the school’s social media presence, allowing the school to reach prospective students and families with additional coverage of life on campus. Mr. Craig Bradley, head of school, said,

“She’s got a tremendous work ethic. Her successor has big shoes to fill.”

For the remainder of the school year, Ms. Danielle Sinclair, former assistant director of communications, will serve as the Interim Chief Communications Officer. The administration has already begun a search for Ms. Hom-Diamond’s replacement. The selected candidate will likely join Hotchkiss during the summer of 2019.

Ms. Hom-Diamond’s legacy will continue to live on through the school’s website and the numerous publications and community communication systems that she managed.