Diamond replaces Jonathan Herrmann, Campus Philly's first executive director, who left in June. The $1.04 million organization is funded by area colleges and the City of Philadelphia.
Last year, Campus Philly brought her on as a consultant to design a comprehensive survey of the region's college students and alumni. What attracted them to Philadelphia? What is likely to make them stay?
Results from the survey will become available in December. "It's not an easy thing to measure," Diamond said.
Between 2003 and 2008, before she started her work as a consultant, Diamond had been director of market research and strategy for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. Part of her job was to figure out how to measure what influenced tourists to come to Philadelphia.
"One of the things I learned there was how important it is to invite people to the region," she said. "This is also an invitation, but to a different audience."
One early result is that students who connected to the region through college jobs and internships are the most likely to stay. It seems obvious, but it's not easy when unemployment in the metropolitan area tied the national rate of 9.7 percent in July, the most recent statistic available from the U.S. Department of Labor.
"Regionally, not bad is the new good," Diamond laughed. "Our regional economy is not doing so badly, and I think it is really relevant that we are close to other big economies, Washington and New York.
"You can have an interview in Washington or New York and still come back and make class," she said, making the point that students may be initially attracted to a college town by the amount of perceived opportunity in the broader region.
