Diana West

Current

• President at Capital Briefings, LLC

Past

• Congressional Liaison (The Policy Council) at Atlantic Media Company
• Manager of Growth Efforts (Office of the Publisher) at Atlantic Media Company
• Website Evangelist (NationalJournal.com) at National Journal Group, Inc.

• Historical Interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
• Adjunct Instructor at Thomas Nelson Community College
• Management Intern at Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
• Program Instructor at Close Up Foundation
• English Teacher at Education for Democracy
• Administrative Assistant at Institute of International Education

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6 more...

Education

• The College of William and Mary
• Wellesley College

Recommended

5 people have recommended Diana

Connections

59 connections

Industry

Publishing

Diana West’s Summary

Over 15 years of experience in publishing and instructing, with a strong background in government and civic education. Frequent and extensive interaction with Capitol Hill and the wider Washington political community.

Strong desire to serve others by providing thorough explanations of public policy issues.

Diana West’s Specialties:

Product development, product launches, teaching, training, client relationships, public speaking. Extensive work inside the Washington, DC community.

Diana West’s Experience

• President

  Capital Briefings, LLC

  (Publishing industry)

  April 2008 — Present (1 year 4 months)

  Capital Briefings, LLC, creates Issue Briefs on legislative topics that are designed to help the user "get smart fast" on legislative issues.
  
  Capital Briefings also provides consulting services for strategic media outreach, research and writing.

• Congressional Liaison (The Policy Council)

  Atlantic Media Company

  (Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Publishing industry)

  2005 — 2006 (1 year)

  Launched new online research tool by leading outreach to Capitol Hill and contributing to product development and strategic planning.
  
  Established database of all Capitol Hill contacts for future use by The Policy Council and as a basis for a company-wide record of all Capitol Hill outreach.

• Manager of Growth Efforts (Office of the Publisher)

  Atlantic Media Company

  (Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Publishing industry)

  2004 — 2005 (1 year)

  Developed pipeline of projects expected to expand or improve existing publications and launch new products.

• Website Evangelist (NationalJournal.com)

  National Journal Group, Inc.

  (Publishing industry)

  1998 — 2004 (6 years)

  Significantly increased usage of NationalJournal.com by conducting demonstrations of the website. Demos were done over the phone or in person for individuals and groups on Capitol Hill and at a wide variety of businesses, non-profits, interest groups, etc.
  
  Contributed to business development by going on sales calls and explaining benefits of the site to potential business partners and site-license subscribers.
  
  Tracked usage statistics and prepared regular reports for in-house distribution.

• Historical Interpreter

  Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

  (Non-Profit; 1001-5000 employees; Museums and Institutions industry)

  1995 — 1997 (2 years)

  Designed and led interactive educational tours of the historic area.
  
  Developed "Felicity in Williamsburg" program, which brought in over 6000 visitors in its first year. Portrayed fictional historical character for the program.
  
  Led development team for historical day camp.

• Adjunct Instructor

  Thomas Nelson Community College

  (Educational Institution; 201-500 employees; Higher Education industry)

  1994 — 1996 (2 years)

  Taught course on American politics for five terms to adult students.
  
  Taught writing skills within context of the course.
  
  Designed exams and presentation projects to test knowledge and skill sets of the students.

• Management Intern

  Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools

  (Government Agency; 501-1000 employees; Education Management industry)

  1993 — 1994 (1 year)

  Managed partnership program linking area schools to local businesses, facilitating public support of the school system.
  
  Maintained current partners and initiated partnerships with new area businesses.

• Program Instructor

  Close Up Foundation

  (Non-Profit; 51-200 employees; Civic & Social Organization industry)

  1990 — 1993 (3 years)

  Instructed high school students in an experiential citizenship program explaining the principles of American government.
  
  Used city of Washington as an on-site classroom to illustrate the history, institutions, and political development of the United States.

• English Teacher

  Education for Democracy

  (Non-Profit; 1-10 employees; Education Management industry)

  July 1991 — December 1991 (6 months)

  Designed and taught English classes to adult Czechs and Slovaks.
  
  Worked independently under adverse circumstances with few resources and little institutional support.

• Administrative Assistant

  Institute of International Education

  (Non-Profit; 201-500 employees; Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

  1989 — 1990 (1 year)

Diana West’s Education

• The College of William and Mary

  M.A. , Government , 1993 — 1994

  Completed thesis in 1997.

• Wellesley College

  B.A. , American Studies , 1985 — 1989

  Graduated cum laude, Durant Scholar
  Junior Year Abroad: University of Sussex, England

  Activities and Societies:

  Business Manager and reporter for The Wellesley News. Intern at the Center for American Studies in Concord, Mass. Residential rep for one year, ACCESS rep for one year. Worked several off-campus jobs.

Additional Information

Diana West’s Interests:

Prize-winning baker, long-time volunteer for The Reading Connection, more recent volunteer for Virginia Delegate David Englin. Former president of an investment club, always happy to talk about stocks and retirement planning. Enjoy history-related travel and reading.

Diana West’s Groups:

Board member and blogger for Media Future Now, a professional network for those who work in political media and utilize the latest communication and technological tools to advance their causes or companies.

•    The Principia Alumni Group
•    Wellesley College Alumnae Association
•    The Principia

Diana West’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• consulting offers
• new ventures
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• business deals
• reference requests
• getting back in touch