Known As “The Transition Whisperer”, Diana Breen (she/her) stabilizes non-profits amid a leadership transition or crisis by serving as Interim Executive Director/CEO. She brings more than 20 years of management experience (including more than a decade in executive roles), a track record of winning seven-figure grants, strong finance and operations skills, and formal training and practice in DEIA efforts as well as executive coaching. Diana has navigated many successful nonprofit leadership transitions, notably at The HOPE Program, Marquis Studios, INCLUDEnyc, Young Audiences New York (YANY), Rebuilding Together NYC, Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD), and Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS).
Before establishing Diana Breen Consulting, LLC, Diana was Executive Director of Ariva, an economic empowerment non-profit based in the South Bronx. There, she doubled revenue, diversified the Board, developed signature programs. She was promoted from Deputy Director after guiding the organization through its transition following the departure of its founder. Prior, Diana served in management positions at the Children’s Defense Fund – NY, Literacy Partners, NYC Dept. of Consumer Affairs, and the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG).
An avid volunteer, she has served on the Board of Directors of Grand St. Settlement, Cypress Hills Child Care Corporation, and Connecting to Advantages. Diana also tutored teens with Children’s Aid Society, mentored a high-school student with iMentor, and was a docent at the Prospect Park Zoo. She has contributed to Nonprofit New York’s Nonprofit Excellence Awards Selection Committee and helped develop their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion standards for non-profit boards.
Diana is the founder of the Interim Leadership Network. She graduated first in her class from CUNY Baruch College with an MPA in non-profit management, graduated magna cum laude from NYU with a degree in music, and holds a certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University. She completed the Support Center’s Interim Executive Director training (where she often serves as a panel expert) as well as executive coaching trainings with the Co-Active Training Institute. Diana lives with her partner, child and two cats in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where she loves to read and plan her next travels.
LinkedIn: Diana Breen